Law places a premium on proper bike parking

FREEHOLD — An ordinance that address the parking of bicycles in Freehold Borough was unanimously adopted by the Borough Council Dec. 21.

The ordinance states that “the uncontrolled placement and tethering or securing of bicycles in public rights-of-way and semipublic rights-of-way on public property presents an inconvenience and a danger to the safety and welfare of persons using such rights-of-way, including pedestrians and persons entering and leaving vehicles and buildings.”

The ordinance states that these factors “constitute an unreasonable interference with and construction of the use of public rightsof way, are injurious to health, offensive to the senses, and constitutes such obstruction of the free use of property and interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property by the entire community.”

Officials want people who use bicycles to park them in bicycle racks that will be placed around Freehold.

According to Dan Megill, the borough’s engineering aide, bicycle racks have been installed during the past year at the following locations:

• Two bicycle racks at the bus station on Throckmorton Street;

• Two bicycle racks in the Market Yard parking lot between Main and Mechanic streets;

• One bicycle rack in the pocket park known as Gere Park on Throckmorton Street across from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church;

• One bicycle rack in front of the CVS Pharmacy on West Main Street.

Officials said those bicycle racks were placed where bicycles have historically been parked.

The new ordinance recognizes that many borough residents use a bicycle as their primary means of transportation and that adequate facilities need to be in place for the safe and secure parking storage of the bicycles.

During the public hearing on the ordinance, Frank Argote-Freyre spoke on behalf of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, Monmouth County chapter. He said members of the alliance agree with the ordinance in principle, but he offered some suggestions with regard to its implementation.

“For some members of the community bicycles are a primary means of transportation,” Argote-Freyre explained. “For them a bicycle makes the difference between employment and unemployment and between human dignity and misery. Before the ordinance is enforced we ask that the borough ensure that sufficient bicycle racks are in place so that bike riders can reasonably comply with the ordinance. A failure to provide sufficient bicycle racks would be to set up the bicycle-riding community for failure.”

Argote-Freyre said the alliance conducted a survey of the number of bicycles parked in the downtown area on a given day and found that in the spring there will be a need for between 80 and 100 parking spots for bicycles.

“At the current time there are inadequate bicycle racks at numerous locations throughout the borough. The number of bicycle racks at the Freehold bus station is insufficient to serve the bike riding public. We suggest that bike racks at the station accommodate up to 40 bicycles,” he said.

He asked for the installation of additional bicycle racks at Musgrave Park on Avenue C, and a bicycle rack at the pocket park adjacent to a Monmouth County parking lot off Lafayette Street.

“We also believe every major park in the borough should have a bicycle rack so that children riding there will have a safe and secure space to park their bicycles,” Argote- Freyre added. “We are willing to partner with the borough to purchase one or two bicycle racks and place them at several private locations.

“We believe the bicycle ordinance, if properly implemented, can serve to make the town safer and more attractive, while at the same time provide adequate space for the bike-riding community, those who rely on bicycles for a livelihood and those who bike for recreational purposes,” he said.

Resident Tom Baldwin said he believes adopting the bicycle ordinance will be a throwback to 2003-04 when borough officials closed an area on Throckmorton Street at which individuals who sought work on a daily basis gathered to link up with prospective employers.

“It’s too harsh and it will be harassing a large percentage of the Latino population who may travel by bicycle all over,” Baldwin said, adding that a summons would be an appropriate punishment for a violation, rather than impounding a bicycle that was illegally parked. “Please don’t use a punish mode with this. You will be denying (people) their mode of transportation and that’s not right.”

Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins said the bicycle parking ordinance will not take effect until April 2010.

“We are placing 10 additional bicycle racks that combined with what we have will allow for space for 90 bicycles,” Higgins said. “This gives Freehold Borough and the police department time to reach out and educate the community on this ordinance, in conjunction with Frank (Argote-Freyre) and others who will also get the word out. It will also give us time to monitor the downtown to evaluate how the bicycles are being parked now. We think this is more than fair and it gives us time to see if the bicycle racks are in the best location.”

In regard to issuing summonses, Higgins said she thought that would be overkill.

The cost to reclaim a bicycle that has been impounded because it was found to have been parked illegally will be $20 plus a $1 per day storage fee.

“We feel this is a better option for our bicycles in town,” Higgins said.

Council President Marc Le Vine told Baldwin the goal of the ordinance is to make the downtown more attractive and to keep it safe. He thanked Argote-Freyre for his efforts and for working with officials.

“It’s just like a car which must be parked in a certain place,” Le Vine said. “We feel it is a win-win for everyone.”

Resident Maureen Haley asked where the new bicycle racks would be placed. She said she bought a house in the borough so she would be able to walk downtown or ride a bicycle downtown. Haley said she was glad to learn that officials are planning to add more bicycle racks.