COVINGTON, Ky. - Over the last seven months, it might have appeared as if a giant with a stapler were shooting shiny black staples into Covington’s sidewalks in front of popular attractions.

 

The “staples” - U-shaped pipe structures anchored in the concrete - are actually bike racks.

 

And their installation, organized by the advocacy group Ride the Cov and funded by the local 501(c)3 group The Devou Good Project, are part of efforts to make Covington more bike-friendly to visitors and commuters alike. They also bring side benefits like less pollution and reducing the demand for on-street parking.

 

The joint project was approved by the Covington Board of Commissioners in spring 2019 when they gave permission for up to 500 racks to be installed in the public right of way. Tuesday night, Ride the Cov gave the Covington a status update.

 

The group’s president, Joe Koehl, said the group had received 434 location suggestions on its website, had installed 132 racks around the city, and had 156 “staples” marked and waiting for approval.

 

“Once the marked locations are hopefully approved, we will be up over the halfway point ... with five months to go,” he said.

 

Koehl identified a few of the more widely used racks, including those in front of Moonrise Donuts in Latonia, at Ritte’s Corner, and near Crafts & Vines wine bar in MainStrasse Village.

 

The latter, he said. “is used all the time. In fact, they’ve asked for a second one.”

At the meeting, City Commissioners Tim Downing and Shannon Smith praised the effort, as did Mayor Joe Meyer.

 

“I have to confess I thought 500 in a year was an unachievable goal,” Meyer said. “But I’m so impressed that you’ve gotten over 430 applications ... so it looks like you might be able to do it. So amazing. Far more popular that I would have thought. Good work.”

 

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