Committee reviews downtown bike-parking inventory, recommends prioritizing racks near Farm & Park

Sandpoint planning staff presented an updated downtown bicycle-parking inventory at the Jan. 8 Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, and members recommended prioritizing additional formal bike racks in several central locations.

Associate Planner Eric Brubaker showed a revised map that separates permanent racks, seasonal grids and informal "blue-dot" indicators where bikes are frequently leaned against posts or buildings. Brubaker said the distinction is important to provide staff and council an apples-to-apples understanding of formal capacity versus informal parking.

Public commenter Rebecca Holland, a former member of an earlier bicycling committee, asked the panel to revive an outreach program that had produced bike-route brochures and school-based education and noted that US Bike Route Number 10 passes through Sandpoint. "We went to the schools and the local elementaries and taught these routes," she said, describing how maps were previously distributed to bike shops, the Chamber of Commerce and schools.

Committee members identified candidate installation sites: the area around Farm and Park (a high-use area during the farmers market), Jeff Jones Square/Block 21 (food carts and destinations), 1st Avenue and Bridal Street (possibly coordinated with repaving), and Pine Street in front of a new business. Members discussed supply types (staples vs. racks with multiple spots) and practical constraints (event access, loading zones and private property near bridges).

A committee member proposed a formal recommendation that the city prioritize racks around Farm and Park first, then 1st Avenue to Bridal Street, and then Pine in front of the new business; the motion was seconded and staff volunteered to pass the recommendation to the city contact (Holly). The group agreed this recommendation would be taken to city staff for follow-up.

The committee also discussed coordinating rack installs with funded capital projects (for example, Bridal Street repaving) and requested staff to advise how many racks the city currently owns and how best to fund additional units. No purchase or budget appropriation was authorized at the meeting.

Staff suggested that if the committee chooses to fund outreach materials (brochures or map reprints), Safe Routes funds or a joint city/committee arrangement could support printing and distribution.

The committee moved on to broader 2026 priorities after agreeing to forward the bike-rack recommendation to staff for follow-up.