I went to Big Mike’s Coffee this week, and to my surprise, the rack was at capacity (13 bikes) and I had to lock to a parking meter. Thus, it’s time for a tribute post to that rack.
If there’s one bike rack in town that’s never empty (excluding the college campuses), it’s at Big Mike’s Coffee. Anyone who’s lived here since Big Mike’s opened can attest to the striking visual presence of seeing all these bikes, parked in what used to be a car spot on the street.
That spot is technically a loading zone, according to the city. Mike has to submit a loading zone application every year, along with $175, and then the Traffic Safety Commission approves the loading zone. The irony is that all those beer trucks that block half a lane of traffic daily at this same intersection are not using paid loading zone spaces, and they do the same on the square. Ugh.
So Mike also has to pay to share a car lot around the corner, for spaces he doesn’t necessarily need, because of a zoning requirement. Should bike parking be required for developers and work in lieu of car parking, as it is in Forth Worth? Should the city provide bike parking stalls, or at least staple racks along curbs?
These are some questions you might consider asking during the upcoming Bike Master Plan meetings for Denton. Fort worth’s city council thought this important enough to add on after the passage of their master plan. Bike parking is one of the top requirements for any bike-friendly city, as you can see from the League of American Bicyclists criteria.