Bike Parking of Lincoln County

Oregon Central Coast’s first-ever* guide to bike parking

*let’s just say I’d be surprised if there’s already a bike parking guide out there

As arguable proof that I’m not always as wordy as my last post—& to get these photos off my phone—here’s a post featuring usable bike parking at the Oregon coast! This is the Lincoln City edition, and not comprehensive at that, but I’ll update from a broader range as I explore.

What a win-win for businesses! Not only do I spend more money at places with bike racks out front, they’re also getting this free advertising plug from me. But it’s a win for everybody, if less driving is good for the environment. What do you think, is it? And, should I also include my “Disappointment List” of places I tried to shop at that lacked bike parking? (brief pause) Nah, I’m gonna try & keep this one lighthearted 😉

Posting these, I notice they’re mostly the same style: Wave Rack. Wave racks at the ocean does work, thematically speaking. Maybe the city got a discounted bulk order some years ago & gave them out to businesses here and there. I wonder if there are any left in storage? Put ’em out!

Multi-bike wave style racks are fine, but my favorite is the standard staple rack, aka U-rack or “loop” style, aka the Sheffield. It’s easy to use & bolted to the pavement, thus secure. That’s what I want in bike parking.

In no particular order, I now present, bike parking:

Bob’s Beach Books! Three of my very favorite things! Beach, books, bikes. Bob’s is at 1735 NW U.S. 101, Lincoln City
Bonus! Bathrooms by Bob’s Beach Books bike racks
The AT&T store at 900 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City. Excellent work, AT&T. I went ahead & bought some phone accessories here.
Trusty bike parking in the square between Washington Federal Bank & Coastal Temps Employment Services, 1609 NW U.S. 101, Lincoln City
Park your bike beach front at the octopus mural, just off SW Anchor Ave in historic Nelscott. Unfortunately, there isn’t any obvious place in walking distance to go eat at from this spot, unless you can get someone in one of the vacation rentals to cook you up a mess of grub. I, uh, don’t think I’ll try that. In other words, BYOS: bring your own snacks.
Lincoln City BiMart at 1030 SE Oar Ave. What a handsome pair of beautifully spaced bike racks! There’s a bus stop, here, too, and the informative Newport News-Times paper.
NW 15th Ave beach access, just above the part of the beach where you can drive your car down onto the sand. We won’t be doing that today.
801 SW Hwy 101, in the Lincoln City Hall and library garage. This is also where you can drop off your ballot.
Case in point, here I am voting, with a close-up on the bike parking in the background. Whenever possible, I vote for candidates with a finger on the pulse of active transportation & on their constituents who don’t or can’t use cars. To any candidates who may be reading this post, feel free to consider it a study guide, but you should also get out & experience traveling the Hwy outside your car if you haven’t.
“Sir, can you please point me to the bike parking?” At the Lincoln City Cultural Center, a fine bike parking speciman. Also see below:
The Lincoln City Cultural Center from across the highway, at 540 NE Hwy 101, Lincoln City, OR
Safeway bike parking. 4101 NE Logan Rd, Lincoln City. A tad bit close to the bricks there, Safeway, but at least you have secure bike parking!
Worried about a place to park if you got to the coast by bus and bike? The Inn at Wecoma has you covered. At 2945 NW U.S. 101, Lincoln City
This place at 110 Oregon Coast Hwy, Lincoln City, OR apparently lets you keep your bike in the balcony. I believe this is the Inn At Lincoln City.
The Lincoln City Goodwill at 1000 SW Hwy 101. There’s also a Hwy 101 city bus stop… somewhere along here. Word on the sidewalk is, if you’re not sure where to stand, just pick a spot and when the bus comes, act like you’re hailing a cab. Pro-tip: some cities find putting out bus stop signs works well.
  • Well this is fine. Landscaping maintenance, anyone?
  • Dear business: this public sidewalk is not your property! But check city code; it may be your responsibility.
  • King of the hill
Woof, woof! Going by the cute doggy bike rack, I’d guess this business is a vet, lol. Indeed, Oceanlake Veterinary Clinic seems to have just moved to this spot at 3219 NW U.S. 101; as of April this location had a feed store in a red barn-like building. The bike rack’s great, since many people do bike their pets to the vet! But the rack was just as likely put in as a leash tie up spot, judging by the lack of sidewalk access and active transportation acumen of the vet’s former spot (middle photos above). That huge bush is totally blocking the sidewalk! If you’re walking your dog there, you have to step into the highway. That could be injurious to your pet! Of course, there WAS a vet right there, handily enough… Dear business: the public sidewalk is not your property! Yet businesses may be responsible for keeping public walkways accessible, depending on city code. Whoever’s responsible—city, state or business—should initiate surgical care to remove that overgrowth. I’m sure one of the many Hwy 101 drivers will contact the mayor about that right away.
The round bike racks of Oceanlake. The first one pictured is just a few steps behind Best Thai Restaurant. There’s a saying in my household: “The best Thai food is the closest Thai food.” Maybe too, the most bikeable Thai food is the best. In any case, Best Thai is at 1437 NW U.S. 101, Lincoln City, OR, and yes, it’s good.
Over at 144 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City, OR, Lee’s Restaurant does not appear to have any bike parking. However, they do seem bike-friendly, since there are always bikes around this place. Maybe the owner hires bicycle delivery riders? Great idea, if so, even though the bike lanes on Highway 101 are kind of hit or miss across town. Guess someone needs to bike to City Hall to inquire about getting some bike lanes. Hmm, I wonder who will do that. I’m sure some driver will get right on it.
Great news! City Hall has even more bike parking up on the roof. Actually, the roof is the top of McKay’s Market, which also shares the buildings at 801 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City. So you can get groceries, stop by the library, and visit City Hall all in one trip. Oh yes, and vote.
Hmm, this McKay’s Market shopper has used a cable lock and a protective bollard. This bollard is not a bike rack at all, but there to keep drivers from plowing into the store. The shopper may not have realized they could go on over to the garage (where you vote), and use the city’s bike rack. It’s not super obvious that it’s there from the storefront, so if I were McKay’s I’d put in my own bike rack here. There are even “bike hitch” bollards. That’s a two-fer!
Same thing here! McKay’s shopper with bike trailer, just leaning to the wall. This seems like the same bike that was at Lee’s. Guess they’re just going in “for a minute;” maybe delivering lunch to a grocery store clerk. Kenny’s IGA is another grocery store chain in Lincoln County, but they are even worse to park a bike at. There’s nothing near or far to lock one’s bike to. Come on, Kenny’s! McKay’s is hitching their horse to City Hall bike racks & you’re missin’ out.
Beachside in Taft, on SW 51st Street near Mo’s Restaurant. Very attractive, Taft.
You’re going to stop at Mo’s, right? No worries, Mo’s has bike parking right out front at 860 Southwest 51st Street, Lincoln City, OR. Store your sturdy steed here and waddle back out to it after you dine.
Desperate Hard Drives. You can bike your computer parts here & get ’em fixed, sweet. Literally sweet; this is not far from a candy & fudge shop. 1826 NE Hwy 101 Lincoln City.
Excellent! Bike parking at the public restroom in Taft, and over there in the building with the green mural is the DELICIOUS Melo’s Taqueria! Perfect bike parking placement at 1266 SW 50th St, Lincoln City. Especially after a huge orange Fanta.

I suppose the Taft Ace Hardware expects me to park at the public bathrooms, then walk alllll the way across the highway to their store, then allll the way back. <eyeroll> You’d think a hardware store would have materials handy to build some sort of convenient bike rack for their customers. I guess if worse came to worse I could always lock up to one of these:

Looking across a surface highway with a Crosswalk Closed sign in the foreground. It has an oblong railing around it
Oops, this looks like bike parking, but it’s just one of ODOT’s crosswalk closed signs. That’s okay, I’ll just drive across. Oh, wait—I forgot I don’t have a car; I’ll just stand here ’till the sun goes down. I guess I could keep biking south for a beer at the Beachcrest Brewery… except I’ve done that and must sadly report, they don’t have bike parking, believe it or not. Dang.
  • Apartments in the background, in the foreground a bus stop, and some tables and wave style bike racks
    Bike racks and bus stop
  • Get rid of this pink thing & put in a whole bunch of staple racks right here!
  • Eyeing the railing
  • Catch the wave!
Oh good, the Lincoln City Outlets have bike parking! It was kind of hard to find, but there are two racks of wave parking, over near the OXO transit connection. The sign says, “Wheels to the valley: OXO Connector, Coast to Valley Express.” So now you know how those sneaky car-free people get from Portland to the coast and back. Now, if you hadn’t seen my blog post here, you might have tried to park in the pink grid bike rack. Those are bad. It’s not even bolted down. I’d just as soon try to use the non-traffic side of the sidewalk railing. But I don’t have to, because these wave racks are back here by the bathrooms. What is it with bike racks & bathrooms, eh? It’s not so much people who bike pee more than everyone else, but bikes, being easy to steal, need to be locked or guarded, not easy to do if you’re biking alone. And it’s a bit hard to bring a bike into a toilet stall (not that I’ve ever tried).
Output Records. It’s more than a record store, it’s a record store you can bike to. Sounds good to me! 1747 NW U.S. 101, Lincoln City
What’s on the other side of Output Records, you ask? Here you go: it’s a Coldwell Banker. Not the only real estate offices in town by a long shot, but do the others have bike parking? Here’s a sure thing.
CUTE! This might be the bike friendliest place in town. And they have karaoke, too. 1643 NW U.S. 101, Lincoln City
I also enjoy the sidewalk art on this block. What are these called? I’ll call them the Circular Sidewalk Mosaic Murals of Lincoln City. Notice there are no bike lanes on Hwy 101 right here. Bummer. Apparently the Oregon Coast Bike Route expects people to ride the sidewalk in this stretch? That’s kind of weird. Guess I’ll have to scour this easy to read state map (PDF). Nope, nothing about sidewalks. But the people in charge of safety on Hwy 101 do tell bike riders to use “bypasses” around towns. Can you imagine ODOT telling drivers, “No stopping in Newport for you! Go around! Bye bye!” LOL, ODOT: I biked to the coast to step inside every fudge shop, not bypass them, what r u doing?
If you go to the beach, you want to go TO the beach, right? Here’s a bike rack placed by the beach access stairs at NW Harbor Ave & NW 21st. It’s also steps from various lodging options, like the Seahorse Oceanfront Lodging at 1301 NW 21st Street. Hard to tell from this photo, but take it from me: this is a fantastic spot to watch the sun set.
Last for now, but definitely not least, is this cute (albeit slightly bent) staple rack at Trillium Natural Foods. Trillium’s is at 1026 SE Jetty Ave.
Looking across a surface highway with a Crosswalk Closed sign in the foreground. It has an oblong railing around it
Share the Road, Share the Love!