Lewes eyes more bike racks at dune crossings
Additional bicycle parking is making its way to Lewes Beach.
At its Feb. 28 meeting, the Lewes Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee discussed the best places to install bike racks near the beach. Committee member Robert Fischer said Bayview Avenue, West Canal Street, Oregon Avenue and Michigan Avenue were chosen because they are the easiest and most optimal. Committee member Chip Davis, who helped identify the spots, surveyed and made measurements at several different spots before making choices. Parks and Marina Administrator Janet Reeves and Parking Enforcement Supervisor Dennis Crawford reviewed the locations too.
Officials said Roosevelt Inlet racks, the only ones currently in the area, fill up fast. The proposal would strategically place stops for bikers along Cedar Street’s side roads. Michigan Avenue, next to the Children’s Beach House, would become the last stop before Roosevelt Inlet. The ramp at Oregon Avenue, praised for its accessibility, could be utilized by more people. Bike parking at West Canal Street and Bayview Avenue could become popular destinations for bikers not wanting to commute farther down Cedar Street and Bay Avenue.
The committee had a consensus agreement on all but the Bayview Avenue location. Committee member Mary Roth’s primary concern was the proximity to head-in parking at the nearby condominium building. Davis said that he would make the Bayview Avenue rack perpendicular to the road to accommodate potential bike trailers beachgoers might have. Davis said there is 18 feet of road between the edge of the closest parking spot to the sand and an additional 7 feet of space before the tree line. Fischer, who joined Roth in her concerns, was swayed by Davis’s explanation. Roth was on board too, adding that the flexibility of being able to move the racks elsewhere if safety was an issue made her comfortable enough to approve.
Fischer said more racks are needed at Roosevelt Inlet, but the revelation that not all bikes fit is an added a layer. Mayor and city council will need to approve all locations except for the inlet. Before additional racks at the inlet are installed and the proposal is sent to mayor and city council, a work group comprising Reeves, Davis, and Sumner Crosby will identify racks that will accommodate all bike sizes. Glenn Dunnington said the style will be the same, just a bit larger, but noted the company used for the Roosevelt Inlet racks only offers different colors.
Mayor and City Council will receive the recommendation from the committee during the March 13 meeting at city hall. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. but is the last item on the agenda before public comments.
