A Clean Air Council First: Bike Corral Installation in Penn Treaty District

The Council was recently awarded funding by the Penn Treaty Special Services District and the American Street Empowerment Zone to create and install bicycle racks in the Fishtown, Kensington and Northern Liberties neighborhoods. The bike racks will be custom made by a local artist and will promote beautification and economic development through sustainable transportation. Creating custom-made innovative sculptures draws customers to the businesses nearby while serving as a functional and secure place to park bicycles. Secure bicycle parking not only encourages employees to bike to work, but also provides parking to more than the 300,000 potential customers who bike in Philadelphia every month. Installing bicycle racks strengthens businesses’ relationships with their local community, promotes healthy active living, offers an alternative to pollution-emitting vehicles, and encourages people to patronize businesses that regard bicycles as an important part of Philadelphia’s transportation infrastructure. While the Council has installed over a dozen bike racks in the past 2 years, with this new grant we’ll be doing something we’ve never done before: install a bike corral. Bike corrals replace a single parking spot with enough space to accommodate 8-12 bicycles leveraging space for bike parking. When sidewalk space is limited or restricted, corrals are the best way to accommodate bicycle parking within business corridors. Within the Penn Treaty District, the Council plans to install one bike corral, 15 art racks, and 10 standard inverted-U bike racks. For more information on this project (including seeing if your business is eligible for a bike rack) please call Will Fraser at 215-567-4004 ext. 123 or email wfraser@cleanair.org