A cold winter with plenty of ice and snow hasn’t kept people from trying out the new bike infrastructure that was installed downtown this past fall.
“I have noticed a surprising amount of winter use of the downtown u-racks and bike shelters,” says Cleve Ricksecker, Executive Director of the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District. “I typically see one or two bicycles parked at the shelters, for example, even on really cold days.”
Ricksecker adds that new bike lockers, which were installed at only four locations to gauge interest, have not seen a lot of use so far but still could catch on when the weather warms come springtime.
The bike racks and lockers, along with the green-roofed shelters, were installed in the core of downtown by the Capital Crossroads SID in collaboration with the City of Columbus. The city also installed a number of shelters and racks in other areas, such as the Arena District, the Discovery District, and along High Street up through the University District.
Randy Bowman, Administrator of the Division of Mobility Options at the city, says they’ve received “mostly positive” input about the shelters, although numbers on usage are not available.
Another element of the project are two new bike rooms, one in the city’s Front Street garage and the other in the county’s Fulton Street garage. Both rooms have seen limited use through the winter, but campaigns are planned for the spring to let people know they are there and to encourage their use.
For ongoing news, discussion and updates on bike shelters and other infrastructure, CLICK HERE.
Photos by Walker Evans.