City takes requests for free bike parking

As more Austinites use their bicycles to get around town and avoid traffic snarls, the Austin Transportation Department has recognized the importance of providing secure, convenient bicycle parking. Now the Active Transportation and Street Design Division of the department is offering to install free bike parking – racks or corrals – in selected public rights of way in order to “free up valuable sidewalk space, enhance the visibility and attractiveness of storefronts and provide an amenity to customers and tenants,” according to a city news release. Businesses, residents, and property owners and managers are invited to obtain an application online (PDF) and the requested locations “will be evaluated based upon available right of way space, bicycle parking demand and availability of nearby bicycle parking.”