A new bicycle corral outside Ready's Coffee Shop and Restaurant between Asbury and Central avenues on Eighth Street.
Ocean City's downtown lost a few parking spots for cars in the past month but gained a much greater number of places to park bicycles.
New bike corral at Starbucks at 11th Street and Asbury Avenue in Ocean City, NJ.
On-street bicycle racks were recently installed in front of Ready's Coffee Shop and Restaurant at 415 E. Eighth St., Starbucks (1061 Asbury Avenue) and across from Sunrise Cafe (1200 Asbury Avenue).
On-street bicycle corrals take the space typically occupied by a parking space and include racks that can accommodate 10 to 20 bicycles. The concept was pioneered on the West Coast as a way to keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians, to raise awareness of bicycles on streets and to cater to a greater number of commuters in a small space.
Ocean City's first bicycle corral was installed at the Varsity Inn last year, and the equipment proved popular for the restaurant.
On an island where the seasonal population swells exponentially and where what parking is metered and at a premium, making streets safe and convenient for bicycles is seen as way to provide relief.
A new bike corral at 12th and Asbury provides easy access to Sunrise Cafe, Jake's Water Ice, the Fractured Prune and Bennie's Bread and Italian Market.
"We've had an overwhelming response," said Doug Wing, owner of Ready's.
The installation of a full traffic signal at Eighth Street and Central Avenue added a few additional parking spaces near Ready's and allowed Wing to request a bike corral.
He said the bicycle rack serves both the downtown and his restaurant. It's packed on the weekends and well-used even on the off-season weekdays, Wing said.
"It's an awesome to addition to Asbury Avenue," said R.J. Idell, whose family owns and operates Sunrise Cafe at 12th Street and Asbury Avenue. "We were pretty excited to see it go in, because we were just about to purchase one for the side of our building."
Jim Mallon, assistant to Mayor Jay Gillian, said the city now has paid to install four bicycle corrals in town as part of an approved capital spending plan.
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A new bike corral at 12th and Asbury provides easy access to Sunrise Cafe, Jake's Water Ice, the Fractured Prune and Bennie's Bread and Italian Market.
"We've had an overwhelming response," said Doug Wing, owner of Ready's.
The installation of a full traffic signal at Eighth Street and Central Avenue added a few additional parking spaces near Ready's and allowed Wing to request a bike corral.
He said the bicycle rack serves both the downtown and his restaurant. It's packed on the weekends and well-used even on the off-season weekdays, Wing said.
"It's an awesome to addition to Asbury Avenue," said R.J. Idell, whose family owns and operates Sunrise Cafe at 12th Street and Asbury Avenue. "We were pretty excited to see it go in, because we were just about to purchase one for the side of our building."
Jim Mallon, assistant to Mayor Jay Gillian, said the city now has paid to install four bicycle corrals in town as part of an approved capital spending plan.
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