Commission approves bike corrals in Leucadia

Bike corrals will soon be installed at three Leucadia coffee shops.

The Encinitas Traffic and Public Safety Commission on Jan. 11 unanimously approved placing a bike corral next to each Coffee Coffee, Pannikin Coffee & Tea and Lofty Coffee.

Commissioner Brian Grover said the decision was a “no-brainer” since the property and business owners support putting bike corrals at their respective shops.

Carris Rhodes, the executive director of Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association, said the bike corrals fit in nicely with Leucadia Streetscape, a plan to revamp the Highway 101 corridor to encourage biking and walking

“This is a wonderful first step,” Rhodes said.

Eric Myers, owner of Coffee Coffee, supported the corrals, saying it would get more people on bikes.

City staff members also looked at putting a bike corral near St. Tropez Bistro, Starbucks and Europtics. But they observed there are several existing bike racks in the area, and only one of three property owners at the spot gave feedback, according to a staff report.

Ed Deane, the city’s deputy director of engineering, said the city could move the bike corrals if it wants to down the line. After the meeting, he said the corrals will be installed sometime around April or May.

The city will pay for the corrals, estimated at $2,000 for one that can hold up to eight bikes. The bike corral sizes have yet to be settled on for each location, but it’s estimated the corral slated for Coffee Coffee could hold up to 12 bikes.

Commissioners James Lindsay and Maryam Babaki were absent from the meeting.

The commission also directed staff to design corrals with a uniform style, but let the business owners choose the colors.

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Next Meeting: The next scheduled Traffic and Public Safety Commission meeting is Monday, Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 505 S. Vulcan Ave., Encinitas.