Downtown bike racks are moving in a two-month experiment

The bike rack next to Donlon's will be moved to in front of T-Bock's

Bike riders will now have a more convenient location to park their bikes while visiting downtown Decorah.

The Decorah City Council has voted 6-1 to move a bike rack now located next to Donlon Pharmacy and put it in front of T-Bock's and to move a second bike rack, now located next to the Montessori School, and put it in front of the Courtyard & Cellar.

Street Committee chair Gary Rustad endorsed the move, saying the current locations have "never been able to get bikes off sidewalks."  Council member Randy Schissel, though, opposed the switch, musing "I can't understand why bike riders can't use the (current) racks."

But T-Bock's owner Mike Bockman argued "If you don't try it (the new locations), how are you going to know if it works?"

That argument won out as all but Schissel voted in favor of the two-month experiment.  The Street Committee and the full city council will review the experiment before deciding what to do in 2017.

The bike rack next to the Montessori School will be moved in front of the Courtyard & Cellar.