Project Description

 Bike Glens Falls, in partnership with Glens Falls Hospital, is proposing a bike parking pilot program on Glen Street. This project would install a 14 bike capacity corral in a single on-street parking space for the remainder of the summer and fall season. If the bike parking pilot is viewed favorably, the corral can be installed at the downtown location permanently. If after the pilot program is evaluated and the on-street corral is deemed unappealing, the bike corral can be installed at an alternative ‘activity center’ such as a school, farmers market, park, or at a willing business.

The intent of this project is to: 

  • Encourage biking downtown, which could result in a reduced demand for automobile parking. The proposed bike corral will provide secure and convenient parking for up to 14 bike riding customers or employees at the expense of just one car parking space. The loss of one car parking space could free up 14 others when motorists opt to bike instead of drive. 

  • Implement recommendations from various city planning documents including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and the Pedestrian and Bike Connectivity Study (2013) 

  • Help the city comply with PROWAG and ADA guidelines by reducing the likelihood of sidewalk encroachment caused by bicycles being locked to signposts, lamp posts, benches, and other objects in the pedestrian zone. 

  • Increase the viability of cycling in the city since the lack of parking is a considerable ridership deterrent. The NYS Cycling Census (2023) and the Bike Glens Falls Take a Bike survey (2022) both found that lack of the bike parking is one of the top five barriers to biking. 

  • Enhance safety of mid-block crossings by removing a parking space adjacent to the crosswalk thereby increasing visibility of pedestrians. This recommendation was made in the Glens Falls, New York: Healthy Community Design Recommendations (2019) and was also noted as a safety issue to the Board of Public Safety in a letter from Tony Mandy at the 1/11/2023 meeting. Please note that the proposed parking space that is targeted for removal was at one point striped as a no parking area, but the paint has since faded and there is no corresponding signage indicating that there is no parking allowed.

The proposed new bike corral space is currently striped for no parking but has no corresponding signage so it is consistently used for on-street parking. The result is a low-visibility situation which increases the risk to pedestrians and motorists.

(Image above)