South Carolina's first on-street bike corral was installed this week in front of Blue Bicycle Books on King Street! A national trend in accommodating bicyclists, bike corrals are parking spaces for multiple bikes, located on city streets out of the way of pedestrians, visible to motorists and, most importantly, easily spotted by cyclists.
Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. sees the new bike corrals benefiting the City of Charleston Streets in many ways. “Bike corrals not only serve the customers of businesses on the greatest shopping and dining streets in the country, they serve as a signal to everyone that bicycling is an important part of our community. Promoting bicycling downtown and in other parts of the City helps address the problems associated with congested areas.”
Jonathan Sanchez, owner of Blue Bicycle Books on King Street, agrees with Mayor Riley. Sanchez remarks, “It's amazing to think how much impact this could have on Upper King Street. So many more people are riding bikes to work now, and to go out in the evenings. Turning one metered space into a bike corral isn't just a ten-for-one trade in terms of vehicles -- it's really a feather in the cap for Upper King Street. It's a cool amenity like the bluestone and palm trees.”
