Bike Racks Could Crank Up Sales for Rockville Businesses
Business owners in Rockville could crank up sales by getting a free bike rack near their shop.
Business owners who lack bicycle parking near their shop or office could qualify for a rack –provided and installed for free by the City of Rockville — under the city’s Bike Rack Grant Program, according to a release from the city.
“Visionary business leaders are recognizing the real-time and long term impact that a culture of bicycling can create,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “We applaud this new round of businesses for investing in a more sustainable future for the country and a healthier future for their employees.”
This is the first year for the grant program and the city has funds set aside to pay for 10 racks, according to Kevin Belanger, the city’s bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. The effort goes along with the city’s new bike parking standards which require new developments within city limits to provide bike parking on site. However, existing properties are exempt. The grant is an incentive for those existing properties to provide the racks, according to Belanger.
Rockville City Hall encourages bicycling as an easy option for transportation and provides amenities such as bicycle lockers and showers for employees and incentives such as a communal staff bicycle for personal and business trips throughout the day.
“Bicycling can be a great option for employees and visitors of City Hall to bypass the hassle of trying to find parking,” Belanger said.
Learn more about the program and find an application here. Residents interested in seeing bicycle parking at specific locations can direct business owners to the website. For more information, call Rockville’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator at 240.314.8626 or bikeways@rockvillemd.gov.
Rockville’s Bike Rack Grant Program is one way the city is committed to improving its bicycle infrastructure. In addition to the “bronze” designation the city received from the League of American Bicyclists in 2012 as a Bicycle Friendly Community, Rockville City Hall was also recently recognized for its commitment to making City Hall a more bikeable destination with a bronze designation as a Bicycle Friendly Business. Both designations are for four years.
The latest award recognizes that City Hall is leading the way as an example for Rockville businesses. With the announcement of 161 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses in 46 states and Washington, D.C., Rockville City Hall joins a cutting-edge group of more than 950 local businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies across the United States that are transforming the American workplace, according to a release from the city.
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