Cyclists push for bike parking at downtown Knoxville stadium

March 18, 2024 by EUNILITO

Bike Walk Knoxville will talk with Boyd Sports about the possibility of adding bike parking.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In just over a year, thousands of people will watch the first pitch thrown at a new downtown Knoxville stadium to kick off the 2025 Smokies Baseball season.

While construction is underway, there are questions about congestion in the old town and downtown. For now, there are no plans to build additional parking lots. City leaders want people to use rideshare, bike or walk to the stadium instead of driving their cars.

Bike-Walk Knoxville offers an idea for bicycle parking in the stadium. They brought it to the Knox Sports Authority meeting in February. The board said Doug Kirchhofer, the CEO of Boyd Sports, and the bicycle advocacy group will discuss the idea.

Matthew Zingg, the Director of Operations for Two Bikes Old City, said this is a good idea — especially since parking is limited downtown.

“I would like to be able to ride my bike safely with my son and my wife, and be able to lock my bike in a safe place,” Zingg said.

Dustin Durham says he tries to ride a bike as much as he can. He’s on the board of Bike Walk Knoxville and said the city should invest in bike-friendly infrastructure in general.

“At the end of the day, it’s a financial security thing to invest in bike infrastructure,” Durham said. “I don’t want us to build our city where we force people to rely on a car, because if that car breaks down and you have to drop $300, $400, what do you do with people’s upward mobility.”

Cyclists also say it’s good for the environment, and for the community, to have more people cycling as a mode of transport. Many say the city should invest in safety measures to make places more bike-friendly.

“At the end of the day, if I don’t have a place to safely put my bike up, then I don’t feel comfortable taking it,” Durham said.

Caroline Cooley, the president of BikeWalk Knoxville, said Kirchhofer has been out of town. They expect to talk more about the idea soon.

“It doesn’t cost much if you have the space,” Cooley said. “Space is the big consideration. The racks are not terribly expensive.”