Johnny Brenda’s, Kung Fu Necktie seek parking for bicycles

Popular Philly rock venues Johnny Brenda’s and Kung Fu Necktie want to build bike corrals for concertgoing cyclists. According to a blog post from The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the corrals – if approved by City Council – would replace one automobile parking space in front of each venue with a rack that can accommodate ten bicycles.

For those who pedal their way to shows, this would mean a modest increase in safe places to lock up their bikes – which are often times questionably chained to fences, street sign posts, even the Market-Frankford El overpass. Conversely, motorists might see the proposal as an already tight parking situation being made tighter. The BCGP says that bike corrals translate into more business, and this should be the deciding factor:

This is a big deal. Bike corrals are important tools for economic development – replacing parking for one customer in a car with parking for 12 customers on bikes is a significant net gain. They are hugely popular in other cities. Getting these corrals installed will demonstrate to Philadelphia’s wider business community that it is good for business to accommodate customers arrive by bike.

The local civic associations – South Kensington Community Association for Kung Fu Necktie, Fishtown Neighbors Association for Johnny Brenda’s – will take community feedback at their respective meetings in the next couple weeks before voting on whether to give the venues letters of support for their bicycle parking applications. The South Kensington meeting happens Wednesday, Aug. 15 at South Kensington Community Partners (2nd and Thompson) while the Fishtown meeting is set for Tuesday, Aug. 21, at the Fishtown Rec Center (1202 E. Montgomery Avenue).