Lake County General Health District provides bike racks for sites in Painesville, Painesville Township

May 21—Cyclists in central Lake County have new places to park their rides.

The Lake County General Health District recently partnered with local officials and organizations to provide bicycle racks to sites in Painesville and Painesville Township, according to district health educator David Patton.

"I'm sincerely hoping that people will recognize these racks and see them and bring about like, 'Hey, I don't have to take my car to get to this place, they have a bike rack, so I could actually lock my bike there and not have to worry about it getting stolen or someone messing with it,'" Patton said.

He said that racks were provided to Painesville's Public Lands and Recreation Department, the Lake County YMCA Central Branch, the city's Salvation Army location and the recently opened Zapps Custard and Mustard. He also has racks set aside to give to Lake Erie College.

Patton added that he also installed two racks at Brentwood Apartments at the request of kids who live there.

In Painesville Township, he said that a rack was provided to Project Hope for the Homeless and two were given to the Lake County Fairgrounds.

Patton said that the district also provided three racks to Lake Metroparks. Park Operations Director Tom Koritansky said that by the end of the week of May 20, the racks would be installed at the southern entrance to Girdled Road Reservation, the Greenway Corridor near state Route 84 and the Hobart Road entrance to Chapin Forest Reservation.

He said that each rack can hold up to 10-12 bikes. Cyclists who want to secure their bicycles with locks will need to bring their own.

Patton said that the health district ordered the racks within the past few years, but they had been sitting in one of its buildings until recently. He began to call different organizations after he joined the agency to see if they wanted the racks, and he delivered them earlier this year.

He believes that residents can use them to get around Painesville, which he described as "a relatively flat city." He said that he used a bicycle to commute for 15 years.

"The main emphasis is getting out there, making some healthier lifestyle decisions, like by choosing to bike instead of driving your car, especially if you're living in and around Painesville proper," Patton said.

He added that riding bikes can save residents money, reduce emissions and help with fitness.

"I really hope that people recognize the racks and use them, just make a healthier decision," Patton said.