Chicago cyclists were concerned earlier this year when the city began replacing street parking meters with the “pay-and-display” kiosks. After all, losing some 36,000 street meters essentially means cyclists are losing 36,000 potential parking posts.

Active Trans brought up the issue of lost bike parking at a quarterly meeting of the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council – a group of city agencies (including a bike program that is part of the Chicago Department of Transportation) and other stakeholders that work to improve the biking culture in Chicago.

The city was receptive, but it really helped to have other cyclists voicing their concerns. We asked our members to contact their alderman and the city if they were losing bike parking, and their responses strengthened our voice.

Thanks to the many who spoke up, the city agreed to take measures to offset the loss of bike parking and to install inverted-U racks. In the meantime, it committed to filling the gap by leaving one to two meters per block for bike parking when no bike rack is available nearby. Such nonfunctioning meters will have a label on them that says “parking meter left as a courtesy to bicyclists.” Watch for them.

The city also committed to researching what other cities have done when faced with this situation. There could be alternative equipment options that might be used to provide additional long term parking.

The unexpected loss of parking meters will pose a challenge to many cyclists, but the city’s commitment to addressing these concerns will help. The Active Transportation Alliance is still on the case, and the City needs to hear from you. Chicago cyclists can call 311 to request bike parking. If you are losing bike parking in your area due to the removal of meters, tell your alderman you want bike rack replacement to be prioritized.

activetrans.org