More on-street "parking" for Cooper-Young

It may not seem like much at first glance--five pieces of metal painted bright yellow, like a new installation of public art--but this is a bike corral, and it is another spoke in the increasing effort to see Memphis as a major cycling city.
 
The corral, a collaborative effort between Saris Cycling Group and the City of Memphis Engineering Division, has room for 10 bikes in what would be a single parking space on Cooper Street in front of First Congregational Church.
 
Says Kyle Wagenschutz, Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Memphis, on his blog, Bike/Ped Memphis, "It's a great use of space and a low-cost option for more customer parking. It frees up sidewalk space for pedestrian foot traffic and communicates a commitment to bike friendliness. Additional bike parking helps to support many initiatives the city has undertaken in recent years, such as the addition of more than 70 miles of bike lanes and trails, to increase the use of bicycles for transportation throughout the city."
 
Saris Cycling Group is a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of bicycle racks and has a committed philosophy to cycling on a "local, state and national level," according to the firm's website.
 
Designated bike lanes already bisect the Cooper-Young neighborhood, where First Congo and the bike corral are at home, yet stop short of Overton Square and fail to meet up with Overton Park at the north end of Cooper Street. The Overton Park Conservancy is currently collecting public input on a proposed new pedestrian entrance at the Cooper and Poplar Avenue intersection, and a paved pedestrian track throughout the park.
 
First Congo is the home of, among other enterprises, the Cooper-Young Farmers Market, Pilgrim House Hostel & Retreat Center and Revolutions Bike Co-op, where members can build and repair their own bikes.

By Richard Alley