The Chainlink

We need more bike parking for the people who already do ride. This morning was ridiculous. Took me literally half an hour to find bike parking centered on Clark and LaSalle.  Why even put on bike to work week, or add all these new bike lanes into the city, when bike parking is so bad. Oh yeah, I forgot, bike parking doesn't make for a nice photo op for the mayor and Active trans...

Views: 2162

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I'm just floored at how many BIKE SHOPS have woefully inadequate or poorly designed bike racks in front of their shops.  Just incredible to me.

Bravo, Steven.

Steven Vance said:

Get businesses to pay for bike racks. 

 

There's a shop near my job out in the suburbs that has a sign outside specifically stating NOT to bring your bicycle inside unless you're getting repairs done, and they have no bike rack out front. That kills me too!

Brendan Kevenides said:

I'm just floored at how many BIKE SHOPS have woefully inadequate or poorly designed bike racks in front of their shops.  Just incredible to me.

This wouldn't happen to be Sportif on Lawrence?  They get downright crabby if you bring a bike in.   I spend my money elsewhere. 

Regarding Steven's  excellent point about businesses putting in their own bike parking; has there been any push by Active Trans or other bike organizations to include language in zoning laws and permit applications for said businesses to include a specified amount of bike parking using some sort of formula?   This is done for handicapped parking and I think many businesses are required in some building zones to have a certain amount of car parking as well.   Why isn't bike parking language being written into these permit applications so that new construction, remodels, and larger business move-ins are required to provide this on or near their entrances and give the city  little break in trying to spread a woefully inadequate 600 racks/year around a city this size.  

Only 600/year?  You have GOT to be kidding me...  They could focus solely on the loop and still hardly make a dent.   This is mickeymouse pathetic.  



Vondo said:

There's a shop near my job out in the suburbs that has a sign outside specifically stating NOT to bring your bicycle inside unless you're getting repairs done, and they have no bike rack out front. That kills me too!

Brendan Kevenides said:

I'm just floored at how many BIKE SHOPS have woefully inadequate or poorly designed bike racks in front of their shops.  Just incredible to me.

Even if there's a requirement for bike parking, the building might also seek a variance and reduce the number. (Not sure if that's done/how effective it'd be....but I could see it happening.)

My building has parking inside it's receiving garage.  It's free and you get a sticker to put on your bike.  Two and a half racks.  I use it in the Winter as there are only 5 - 10 other bikes in there.  I don't dare use it in the Spring/Summer; it gets so crowded that if you're an early parker there's no way you're getting your bike out when shift is over.

reminds me of downtown parking garages after 8am!

in it to win it said:

 I don't dare use it in the Spring/Summer; it gets so crowded that if you're an early parker there's no way you're getting your bike out when shift is over.

My building has space for six bikes in front of it and it's a 30 storey building in the Loop. It's getting harder to find a space now that the weather is getting nicer. I've already put in a request with the city. My building is also across the street from a parking garage. Why do we have huge parking garages and on-street parking for hundreds of cars, but only space for six bicycles?

You know, I've heard ATA reps say stuff like this before and it just makes no sense at all to me.   The question isn't why didn't ATA react to the meter deal in time, the question is why wasn't there something on the table long before the meter deal was made.

I didn't even live here yet in 2007-2008 and I had already had multiple conversations with Chicagoans about what was going to happen with bike parking when the meters got converted.   Most large cities in the world had already dropped meter parking and it was obvious that Chicago would do so soon.  And even during short visits it was obvious to me how critical the meters were to cycling in the city.  

And what really galls is that a bike rack conversion program for the meters would have been chump change given the size of the deal. It may have even saved money.   It didn't look like a situation where lobbying failed. It looked like a situation where nobody had ever brought up the topic over the preceding years and so converting the meters simply didn't occur to anybody at the top. 

Sorry, this is all a bit rant-y, but I've been holding it in for a while.  The thing is, it wouldn't bother me at all if ATA said "you know, we're a small underfunded organization and we missed that one and we're sorry".  Or if they said "we had a good plan but all the meters got sold cheap to Daley's second cousin, what are you gonna do?".   What burns me over time is the constant happy talk of "everyone did their bestest but things just moved too fast! Who could have predicted that?!?".   


Active Transportation Alliance said:

Active Trans did bring up the issue of bike parking in conjunction with the impending parking meter lease with city departments that we work with. Some of them, including CDOT, were aware of the challenge and trying to address it.

In the end, the parking meter deal moved quickly to approval and we are all (city, CDOT, Active Trans, Chicagoans) trying to work within and around the specifics of the lease and how it impacts our work.

For all the talk during the last regime about how "bike friendly" Daley was -it was nothing more than a smokescreen.   Daley didn't give a rat's patootie about bicyclists and the LAZ deal showed this one final time.  It happened fast -not quite as fast as the bulldozers taking out the Meigs Field airstrip in the middle of the night, but pretty darn fast.

I'm not super happy with a lot of the policies of Active Trans and their kowtowing to helmet BS, harassment of actual commuters via the "ambASSadors" ticketing them for BS stuff, and the insistence of playing by the car rules where bicyclists lose.   But I have to say that the parking meter thing went down so fast that it took us all by surprise.  The loss of the meters as our main parking method kind of sneaked up on all of us. 

I've tried to get  them enforced without success. I've even contacted the alderman who chaired the committee that came up with these requirements, and he knew nothing about them.

Also, they only apply to new construction. 

We're completely on our own here.

 


Cameron Puetz said:

There are some requirements for bike parking in the Chicago Building Code. Section 7-10-0200 specifies minimum ratios of bike parking to car parking. However these ratios don't seem to be enforced. Also there are no requirements for this parking to meet any quality standards, so brace yourself for some picket fence racks.



James BlackHeron said:

Regarding Steven's  excellent point about businesses putting in their own bike parking; has there been any push by Active Trans or other bike organizations to include language in zoning laws and permit applications for said businesses to include a specified amount of bike parking using some sort of formula?   This is done for handicapped parking and I think many businesses are required in some building zones to have a certain amount of car parking as well.   Why isn't bike parking language being written into these permit applications so that new construction, remodels, and larger business move-ins are required to provide this on or near their entrances and give the city  little break in trying to spread a woefully inadequate 600 racks/year around a city this size.  

 

Thanks, James, we appreciate your understanding of our position on this one. We know you aren't with us on all of them and we appreciate the debates, of course.

Thanks,

Ethan, Active Trans



James BlackHeron said:

For all the talk during the last regime about how "bike friendly" Daley was -it was nothing more than a smokescreen.   Daley didn't give a rat's patootie about bicyclists and the LAZ deal showed this one final time.  It happened fast -not quite as fast as the bulldozers taking out the Meigs Field airstrip in the middle of the night, but pretty darn fast.

I'm not super happy with a lot of the policies of Active Trans and their kowtowing to helmet BS, harassment of actual commuters via the "ambASSadors" ticketing them for BS stuff, and the insistence of playing by the car rules where bicyclists lose.   But I have to say that the parking meter thing went down so fast that it took us all by surprise.  The loss of the meters as our main parking method kind of sneaked up on all of us. 

RSS

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service