WESTFIELD—Two new bicycle racks are in the downtown area, providing cyclists with even more areas to park their two-wheeled vehicles.
The racks were placed in the areas of Blue Umbrella Books and Two Rivers Burrito Company. The bicycle racks came from the Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail, who were gifted the racks from New Horizons Bicycle Shop in Westfield. According to Don Podolski of New Horizons, the racks were installed by the city following the donation.
A new bike rack located downtown in front of Two Rivers Burrito Company.
“The goal is to have at least a dozen racks throughout the downtown area at regular intervals and in concentrated areas where we will have bike activity,” Podolski said.
According to Podolski, the racks were placed in areas where bicyclists may be more likely to stop. Podolski said that riders are traveling into the area from as far as Connecticut and this will promote riders to stop at local restaurants or elsewhere to eat or to visit.
In fact, Joe Wynn, one of the owners from Two Rivers Burrito Company, said that he has already noticed an increase in cyclists coming into his restaurant over the years and have been asking for a place to park their bikes.
“It’s something people have been asking for the past few years,” Wynn said.
“It’s great for our customers and the folks coming downtown,” Wynn also said.
Podolski said that the racks are a hoop design rack, which means that there are two points of contact for a bicycle to be safely locked onto, which can reduce the possibility of damage or theft. The racks also have the Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail logo etched into a piece of metal on them, designating where they came from.
The racks placed in the two locations downtown cost about $375, Podolski said, but could be less than half that cost without the etching.
