Crowded parking for Trader Joe’s and vicinity? Not anymore!

Can’t find a parking spot? Ride a bike! There are 14 new parking spots in one of the busiest areas of downtown Monterey.

Does speaking up for better bike infrastructure get results?  You bet!

Before speaking up about the need for new bike racks…

These four women from Toronto, Canada were looking for bike parking at a popular location in downtown Monterey: the Uptown Monterey shopping center anchored by Trader Joe’s.

So were touring cyclist Daniel Hopp of Germany (at right) and an Austrian bike-touring couple I chatted with.  But about six other people had already parked their bicycles, using up the one available bike rack. Hmm….where to lock up these seven additional bikes while their owners dine out and do some shopping?

After…the City of Monterey got the message–and adddressed the problem.

Crowded bike parking at Trader Joe’s got a fix.

That old rack at left—between Trader Joe’s and r.g. Burgers (which closed in 2018).

has been packed to overflowing on many occasions, with less fortunate cyclists scrambling to find some other appropriate place to lock up.

Now there is improved parking:  The rack opposite the MST bus plaza, and next to Peet’s Coffee, holds 8 bikes; the new rack between the (now closed)r.g. Burgers and Trader Joe’s holds 6.  Sweet to have 14 new parking spots in downtown Mon terey’s Uptown Monterey shopping center!  (Uptown downtown? Hey, our planners like to keep people on their toes here–wanna make sure we’re staying alert.)

Ariana Green, a traffic planner with the City of Monterey in 2012, beams over one of the new racks.

Photo provided by Ariana Green.

Is the new bike parking getting used? Oh, yeah!

And as these Santa Cruz County visitors on July 9, 2016 (and many other people who bike) say, the design of the new red bike racks works much better. Thanks to Ariana Green for researching racks and choosing a better way to park bikes.

Nearby bus plaza benefits too

People using the bike-and-ride option of the Monterey-Salinas Transit buses will find these racks handy when they want to do a quick errand while waiting for their next bus.

Jordan and Jack like the way the new racks work. Jack (in green) and his partner, Janet, had been on a bike trip to SoCal when they arrived back home to discover these improvements to downtown Monterey bike infrastructure.

Above, San Francisco Bay Area visitors, Derrick Chao and Kyle Ingebretson, were at the MST downtown Monterey plaza.

Click here for MST and other bike-and-ride options.  And click here for those posters, fliers, and more to share with others.

Who’s on the job?

Thanks to Rich Deal, City Traffic Engineer for the City of Monterey and Ariana Green, Traffic Planner for the City in 2012.   Having such responsive, bike-friendly municipal employees who keep the needs of bicyclists–and pedestrians--on their radar is much appreciated.

How to contact them to express your thanks?

City Council:  http://www.monterey.org/en-us/cityhall/citycouncil.aspx

City Traffic Engineer and Planner: http://www.monterey.org/en-us/departments/planspublicworks/transportationengineering.aspx

Related resources on this site

• If you’re shopping by bike, click here for tips.
• If you’re visiting a HER Helmet Thursdays spot,  make use of the bike-there tips in many listings.  And if you’re biking or doing the bike-and-ride there on a Thursday, remember to walk in with a bike helmet in hand and ask for the HER Helmet Thursdays discount.  (For lodging discounts, no need to bike there; it’s BYOB or rent a bike for a day or longer from any Monterey County rental spot.)
• For more about bicycle parking in Monterey County, start with the Tips for Bicycling Monterey County guide’s section 13: Bike Valet and Other Bicycle Parking.
  

Where are you biking?

Show us! Click here.