MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

MAYOR HENRY INVITES WAYNEDALE RESIDENTS TO SUBMIT LOCATIONS FOR BIKE RACKS 

Residents can make suggestions for Racks in Waynedale.

I would like to invite Waynedale residents to discover Fort Wayne on their bicycles today through the installation of 136 new bike racks this summer in downtown, at City parks and along commercial corridors in alignment with the City’s Bike Fort Wayne plan.

As Waynedale residents and people across Fort Wayne discover all that our community has to offer – from the beautiful parks and trails to the numerous festivals and outdoor activities – a bicycle serves not only as a way to save gasoline but to burn a few calories to get to these great places.

By all accounts, Fort Wayne residents are riding their bikes more, either recreationally or as an alternative to their cars. We know that when we offer better bike parking, people are more likely to use their bikes as a form of transportation.

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Almost 60 new racks have been installed so far, with the City’s Community Development staff working to identify additional locations. Waynedale residents can also suggest possible bike rack locations. Visit www.cityoffortwayne.org/bikefortwayne and click on the Bike Rack Request Form link to find the form.

All of the racks were manufactured by local companies: Park ‘N Gear and Industrial Training Solutions. They were powder coated in Allen County facilities with Gleave Construction providing the installation.

The announcement of these new racks is part of my Discover Fort Wayne initiative. Discover Fort Wayne fosters Fort Wayne residents’ “attachment” to the place where they live. It focuses on highlighting features connected to the primary drivers of attachment: a community’s social offerings, aesthetics and openness. Discover Fort Wayne ties to the findings of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community report that studied 26 cities, including Fort Wayne, to identify what makes people love the place they live.

Fort Wayne’s quality of life elements like our trails and vibrant commercial corridors are important in attracting and retaining young, talented professionals and benefits people of all ages, from the toddlers who ride in a bike trailer to the daily bike commuter. Improving the attachment our residents have to Fort Wayne can help drive our local economy upward.

The 2011 racks complement the 127 the City installed, primarily in downtown. This year, the focus was on placing racks at locations that experience bike traffic or are part of the bike infrastructure network identified in the Bike Fort Wayne plan. In the City’s 2008 bike-use survey, parks were one of the top places bicyclists identified as a place they rode to and wanted more bike racks.

Eighty percent of the racks’ funding comes from the federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality dollars through the Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council. The City was responsible for a 20 percent match. The entire cost was $18,781 with the City only responsible for $3,778.