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closeA lot has happened with bicycling in Bellingham through the years.
More bike lanes have been installed, and more are planned.
With the rise in gasoline prices, more people are turning to pedal power.
The city has adopted the idea of going green, with biking and walking seen as important alternatives to driving everywhere you go.
But one thing hasn't changed in 26 years. That's how long it's been since the city adopted its rules for bicycle parking.
The city has put in some bike racks, but demand still exceeds supply.
"There are different key locations where you see bikes locked to trees and meters," said Kim Brown, the city's transportation options coordinator.
Bellingham's ordinance says parking lots, parking garages or other developments with more than 50 parking spaces must provide storage for bicycles - up to 10 percent of the spaces.
It also says bike racks, lockers or other devices at those developments should be sturdy and conveniently located, without giving details or examples.
Chris Koch, a city planner, says the ordinance is lacking compared to laws in other bicycle-minded cities. Elsewhere, the requirement for bicycle parking kicks in for projects much smaller than ones with 50 parking spaces, and includes more detail about the design and placement of racks and lockers, he said.
For example, in Portland, Ore., a Mecca for bicyclists, rules details different requirements for short-term bike parking - for shoppers, messengers and visitors - and for long-term parking - for workers, residents and students.
New bike parking rules might come to Bellingham, but it likely will take awhile.
The city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee recently formed a subcommittee to research the topic, but new rules probably must await an overhaul of the city's development code.
Koch said there are plans to update the code, which includes bicycle parking, but it's not clear when that will happen. It won't be soon.
In the meantime, Brown is researching "bicycle corrals." That's the term for converting an on-street vehicle parking slot into space for bicycle parking. Portland has some. So does Victoria, B.C., which recently installed a covered bike shelter that holds 23 bikes where one vehicle used to park.
Not long ago, folks at the Whatcom Council of Governments tried to persuade local businesses to pay for covered bike-parking stalls. But only one or two showed interest, not enough to buy the stalls at a discounted price of $10,000, so the effort deflated.
For now, the city is installing bike racks here and there, but most business owners and landlords don't have to, unless they have green hearts.
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