Bike‑and‑Pedestrian Committee urges Carolina Beach to clarify bike‑parking rules and push businesses to add racks

Nicole Koehler, a Bonito Lane resident representing the Bike & Pedestrian Committee, presented examples and practical steps for increasing bike parking in Carolina Beach.

Nicole pointed to Dollar General and Food Lion as frequent destinations for bicyclists that lack secure bike racks and said the committee has trialed mobile bike racks at boardwalk events. She told council the town’s Land Use Plan supports bicycle infrastructure and recommended (1) staff verify whether current businesses meet zoning requirements, (2) consider adding bike‑parking requirements to conditional zoning approvals, and (3) partner with nonprofits or the Chamber to provide low‑cost racks. "We're asking that the town considers whether or not these businesses are in fact meeting the zoning requirements," Nicole said.

Council members and staff discussed outreach approaches (committee contact with business managers, nonprofit purchase of racks) and the limits of ordinance changes—council cannot require retroactive compliance. Staff noted the Town’s amended UDO ties golf‑cart parking and compact space rules to bike‑rack requirements in some instances and suggested budget season could finance additional racks at high‑use locations such as beach accesses and the elementary school, where Nicole said the racks are often full.

No formal ordinance change was proposed at the meeting; council encouraged the committee to document the businesses and locations where racks are needed so staff can pursue outreach and potential budget allocation.

Why it matters: As nonvehicular travel and multi‑use sidewalks increase, clear bike‑parking requirements and visible racks can reduce sidewalk clutter, improve access to businesses, and support safe multimodal travel.

What's next: The committee will follow up with a list of targeted businesses and locations to support staff outreach and potential budget requests.