Does Davis Have A Bike Parking Shortage At Apartments?

DAVIS (CBS13) — In a bicycle-crazy city, bicycle advocates say there's a growing parking problem in Davis.

Maria Tebbott is fired up over what she calls a glaring problem in her bike-friendly community. As she rides past apartment complexes, especially older ones, she shakes her head.

"We need to have places where people can put their bikes," she said. "Most apartment complexes that I've seen in Davis have bike racks that have not been attended to since probably the 1960's, maybe the '70's."

UC Davis graduate student Matthew Palm had to kick his creative bike storage ideas into another gear, saying he was forced to park his $800 bike in his second-floor apartment.

"The thief comes and they un-attach the tire and they just pull and take the bike..they steal the bike and you wake up the next morning to go to class or go to work and all you have left is your front tire," he said.

So what can be done about what some are calling outdated and inconvenient bike parking at some Davis apartment complexes?

"It's up to private property owners to install bike parking and maintain the bike parking on their private property," said Jennifer Donofrio, the city's bike and pedestrian coordinator.

Unless it's newer construction or the apartment owner is doing an upgrade to their building, the city has no power to demand a certain type of bike parking area be installed, nor can it tell them how many spaces to include.