New Bike Racks Rolling into Lakewood

Already known as a , bikeability is about to get even better in Lakewood.

About a dozen bike racks — and one large bike corral — are coming to downtown Lakewood in May.

One of the key takeaways from last year’s bike study, is that in Lakewood, biking is kind of a big deal. 

“It’s how people get around,” said Dru Siley, the city’s director of planning and development. “We have so many folks who ride as transportation. There (are) recreational riders, people who ride to run errands, and there’s commuter riders.”

He said that about a dozen yellow bike racks are arriving later this month.

“We have thousands of folks in town who use bikes as their primary mode of transportation,” Siley added.

The city’s showed where in the city bike traffic is heaviest. Those areas along Detroit Avenue are getting the racks.

As part of their construction plans, the and the will each have a bike rack.

— in front of the — is also getting one. So are spaces near the , , and .

The block in front of has the highest density for bicycle traffic in the entire city, according to the bike study.

That’s where the city is erecting a 15-foot-long bike corral on the street in front of the building.

In addition, the Root is investing in a bike corral designed by local artisans, Rust Belt Welding.

Once the Root’s own bike corral is installed this summer, the city will move its corral to another location. 

“I am really excited that the city is taking initiative on creating infrastructure needed for a vibrant bicycling community,” said Julie Hutchison, the co-owner of the Root Café. “It’s awesome that the city is moving forward so quickly, implementing the Master Plan.”

The racks on Detroit Avenue — with a price tag of $5,000 for all of them — are just the beginning, said Siley.

“I think we’re going to expand this in the future — farther up on Detroit and some areas on Madison (Avenue),” he said.