Keep the Parking Ordinance Strong!

About 15 enthusiastic cyclists — including County Commissioner Jennifer Roberts — attended the Jan. 18 City Council hearing on the proposed Bicycle Parking Ordinance. The proposed Ordinance seemed well-received by most Council members, but it must clear two more hurdles and we face powerful and astute opposition that wants to eliminate all long-term bicycle parking from the ordinance (read it here). This would diminish the ordinance's value to commuters, reducing opportunities for cyclists to "rack and ride" on CATS busses, and inciting long-term parkers to fill up the short-term parking that remains.

Keep the Ordinance from being watered down before it's adopted! Make sure members of both the following bodies hear from you before the two remaining meetings that will determine the Parking Ordinance's fate:

• Zoning Committee, monthly meeting, Wed., Jan. 26, 4:30 PM. This is a public meeting, but the public is not generally invited to speak. Contact members before the meeting.
• City Council, zoning meeting, Mon., Feb. 21 (not a City holiday), 6 PM. If you wish to speak, sign-up instructions are here. Find your district's representative here.

Both bodies meet at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth Street. Parking is free in the Government Center garage just across Davidson Street when you exit after 7 PM.

The rest of this article contains details that may help you influence the decision-makers.

REBIC (the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, a regional coalition of real estate and developer associations) seeks not to defeat the proposed Ordinance, but asks the Zoning Commission and City Council to address their "implementation concerns." Sounds reasonable, but here's what they've really asked for:

• remove all long-term bicycle parking requirements,
• eliminate all requirements for covered bicycle parking,
• exempt industrial developments from any bicycle parking requirement,

and two other less sweeping cuts to the proposed bicycle parking quotas.

REBIC's changes destroy two essential features of the staff's proposed Ordinance. The Ordinance recognizes that different facilities are required for two very different types of bicycle transportation, short errands and commuting to work. And the Ordinance's widely-available long-term parking facilities are the third leg of the bicycle commuting tripod: bike lanes, bikes on transit, and bike parking. Without the third element, the other two are much less effective.

REBIC claims to support bicycle parking, but their changes retreat from making cycling a vital element of our transportation plan and leave just a nice but limited amenity. Not surprisingly, these changes would reduce the proposed Ordinance's very modest cost to developers and property managers — which they incur only in new projects or major renovations — to near zero.

Resist REBIC's effort to water down the Bicycle Parking Ordinance! I received the following advice from someone familiar with the situation:

It is possible that REBIC has been in touch with the zoning committee members regarding this text amendment and at a minimum the committee is going to be looking for staff to respond to the issues raised by REBIC. The Zoning Committee meeting is not a continuation of the public hearing therefore presentations to them by any one other than staff is not allowed. The Zoning Committee can suspend the rules to ask specific questions of people present at the meeting.

There are several things that should and can be done by the supporters of this text amendment. They should call, fax or e-mail the Zoning Committee asking them to support the text and why they think it is important that it go forward as presented. If they have arguments to rebut what REBIC has asked be changed they should share those with the Zoning Committee. They should also attend the zoning committee meeting next week so that they can hear the discussion and the Zoning Committee members can see that there are supporters for the proposed text amendment.

Make your voice heard today! (See contacts at the top of this article.)

You can use this article's "add new comment" link to share your arguments and discuss strategy with your fellow cyclists.