As Covington Mayor Joe Meyer cut the ribbon on the first of the Latonia bike racks on Thursday, the event was documented by Moonrise Doughnuts founder and owner Keith Bales, right, and Channel 9 news, left. Standing with Meyer are, from left: Covington City Commissioner Shannon Smith; Ride the Cov secretary Josh Hatton; Pat O'Donnell, president of the Latonia Business Association; Paul Patton of the Latonia Community Council; (Meyer); Joe Koehl, president of Ride the Cov; and Leigh Drake, president of the Latonia Community Council.
Officials say racks will have economic, environmental payoff
COVINGTON, Ky. - They don’t look very impressive - just U-shaped pipes bolted upside down to the sidewalk.
But the bike racks or “staples” that have begun appearing around the City represent an important investment in both public infrastructure and economic development, organizers say.
The racks give bicyclists a secure place to lock their bikes and thus encourage their use for things like commuting to work and running errands, rather than just recreation, said Joe Koehl, president of the advocacy group Ride the Cov. Bikes provide environmental and health benefits as well as help “calming” traffic and reducing congestion, he said.
“People are looking for these benefits in the places they want to call home,” Koehl said. “Walkability and bike-ability are key aspects of those places.”
Ride the Cov is partnering with the City and a local 501(c)3 group, Devou Good Project, which is providing the funding for the racks to be placed not just downtown but also in neighborhood business districts and parks.
Ride the Cov has 540 racks to install and will do so in stages, Koehl said.
On Thursday, a ribbon cutting was held to celebrate the first of those racks in Latonia, in front of Moonrise Doughnuts on Winston Highway just down from Ritte’s Corner.
Some 18 racks will be installed in Latonia within the next week, Koehl said, and batches of 15-25 will be put in roughly each week this summer and fall. Homeworx Construction LLC of Fort Thomas is doing the work.
Ride the Cov continues to seek suggestions about where to put the racks. See its website,
HERE, to suggest a spot.
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