Why Norman drivers might have turned green with envy

NORMAN — When the University of Oklahoma is in session, finding a parking spot on Campus Corner can be hard. Tuesday, it was next to impossible.

In honor of Earth Day, about 35 bicyclists parked in metered parking spots along Asp Avenue to promote bicycles as a valid source of transportation. Organizer Margaret Kinkeade, a senior fine arts major, said the event drew little protest from Campus Corner merchants.

"Everybody's been really supportive, but one man did complain,” she said. "The owner came out and told us we didn't have a right to be there. He said he owned the parking space, and it was for his customers. The police were called out, they verified what we thought was right — that the city owned the parking spots, and we could be there as long as we were plugging the meters.”

Kinkeade said she and her roommate, Angela Chase, decided to park bicycles along Asp Avenue after a friend living above Buchanan Bicycles found a 1972 photo of bicycles parked along Asp Avenue on Earth Day.

"We made posters from the photo and told people we would plug the meters if they would park their bikes on Asp on Earth Day,” she said.

After a slow start, about 35 people were participating by the end of the day, occupying about 30 parking spots. Kinkeade said the cost to keep the meters plugged all day was about $2 per meter.

"Some people didn't park their bikes, but they donated money for the meters,” she said.

Hunter Mankin, manager of Seven47 restaurant, said the bicyclists were taking up his prime spots, but he wasn't too bothered. "Yes, it's irritating for our customers to have to walk that extra quarter mile,” he said. "But, it's Earth Day.”

A waitress at Pepe Delgados restaurant said servers didn't mind since most of them walk or ride their bikes. She couldn't speak for customers, though. "Our restaurant doesn't have a parking lot, so our customers have to park on the street,” Megan Lenhart said. "I'm sure some people were irritated, but none of us really minded.”