Bike parking etiquette

Can we agree that it's bad etiquette to take up both posts of the typical upside down U racks that we have here in Chicago? I always park my bike at a 45 degree angle, which keeps the other post completely free without the bike going to far out onto the sidewalk. But I see a lot of people with their bikes flush against both posts, making it difficult if not impossible for 2 bikes to occupy one rack.

I get that if you have two u locks you have a modicum of additional security by locking a lock on each post- but I think it's still bad etiquette- you could lock one to the rack (front wheel and frame perhaps), and the other could lock the other wheel to the frame. Slightly less secure but still pretty dang secure, without using up more than your share of rack space.

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Permalink Reply by ketoguychicago on July 20, 2019 at 12:04pm

I appreciate it too VW.  While folks may not agree on something or vary in tone, this was a pretty informative thread in all.  Among other things, we learned that: 

-Parallel to the rack with two lockable contact points, was intended in the design, and makes it simpler to lock the front and back wheels too,

-although a simple instructive sticker on the top of rack was a missed opportunity. 

-Parallel to the rack, while intended, forecloses the opportunity for 4 bikes to be locked, with two perpendicular on the ends, and two set across the top. 

-Parallel works best with standard skinnier road bikes and similar, not so much for cargo bikes or those with wider panniers still on, and/or those with larger cage side racks or baskets.

-When locking parallel, the bikes may not stick out so much into the sidewalk if it's narrower. 

-Rack placement on the sidewalk or elsewhere too influences effects things a bit.  Racks placed parallel to each other and close together more or less drive the bike locking parallel too.

-Whoever gets there first sort of sets the convention for that rack, and it can carry over until it is completely vacated. 

-Parallel with the rack comes with the greater risk of having someone else locking your bike with their lock when they come along later, and, there are varied anxieties about folks not wanting their bike touched, likewise differing sensibilities about not wanting to mess with someone else's bike.

-Tough room with lots of sensitivities, yet many sincerely do want to help.

-I like Patricia's post.

 

Permalink Reply by V W on July 24, 2019 at 3:18am

And thanks ketoguy. I think some people don't realize that just being they can park their skinny roadbike or fixie on a U rack with both posts occupied, for others (particularly with other types of bike, think mountain bikes, hybrids and cruisers with baskets, cargobikes, tricycles, recumbents, etc etc etc) not everyone else can (at least not without a lot of hassle). 

They also seem to get quickly offended when their roadbike-centric worldview is called into question.

Permalink Reply by V W on July 24, 2019 at 8:10am

* too late to edit but meant to say "just because they can park" [their skinny bike parallel to a U rack where another bike is straddling both posts] ... "not everyone else can"

And even if they could, they might just avoid trying because of the added difficulty and/or necessity of having to forgo their preferred parking method (such as being unable to have the room to thread the U lock through the wheel and frame, and being relegated to having the U lock merely go through the frame only).

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 24, 2019 at 10:43am

I am one of the least road bike-centric people ever and I hardly ever have and issue locking up to an occupied bike rack in the correct manner.

And if I do I just walk down the street to find a suitable place to lock because I am aware that my choice to ride a bike with a weird shape means I cannot always use traditional locking locations.

Permalink Reply by V W on July 24, 2019 at 3:16am

Thanks Patricia, it's interesting how comfortable people are with quickly resorting to name calling on this forum. 

Permalink Reply by Tooscrapps on July 24, 2019 at 4:27am

No one *quickly* resorted to it. It came after comment after comment explaining why your belief isn't all that enlightened, and yet, you continually dismiss other's valid points. It's insulting.

Again, I've seen all the bikes you mentioned (save the recumbent and trike, which are fairly unique) locked in parallel without issues, but for whatever reason, you can't fathom it.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 24, 2019 at 10:49am

But you don't understand.

THEY ARE AN EXPERT

Permalink Reply by Patricia Unsinn on July 24, 2019 at 11:04am

I don't think his point was that he couldn't "fathom it." It was that there are clumsy and inept people like myself who find it hard to lock our bike to a post where another bike is locked flush up against both posts. And he recognizes that those of us who have a lower skill level would like to park our bikes too so he tries to leave room for us. Just like I recognize that there are others on the LFT who ride a lot faster than I do, so I try to keep to the right to leave them room to safely pass rather than making them maneuver around me into oncoming traffic. 

Permalink Reply by V W on July 25, 2019 at 6:54am

+1. There's three U racks where I park everyday, lined up parallel to the street. One guy has started double tethering his bike to both posts. I can confirm that no one ever parks next to him (at least I have yet to see it). The other 2 are typically occupied by 2 bikes (including mine), each tethered to one post. 

Now could someone park next to the double tether-er?  Yes, as you said, I could fathom it. But they'd rather not deal with the hassle. I am speaking on their behalf but it doesn't seem like a huge leap in logic using the power of observation.

Speaking for myself, I'd rather be able to loop my U lock through my frame and front wheel, which I will not be able to do on most of my bikes (which have somewhat wider tires, and fenders- which therefore are quite a bit harder to loop a U lock through) if the bike were arranged parallel to the U rack- but which is fully possible and much easier to do if you give me a free post to get as close to as possible.

Point being- if double tethering to both posts had a negligible effect on the average biker's ability to lock their bike up, if it was only me and you that are the rare outliers, I think we'd see a lot more bikes locked to racks as the second bike in those scenarios. But, speaking from experience, I don't.

It's like someone sprawling out on a couch leaving yourself just a tiny bit of space to sit your butt on, and acting like they're oblivious to the fact that no one wants to perch their butt on the tiny bit of space leftover.

Permalink Reply by ad on July 25, 2019 at 7:41am

"It's like someone sprawling out on a couch leaving yourself just a tiny bit of space to sit your butt on, and acting like they're oblivious to the fact that no one wants to perch their butt on the tiny bit of space leftover."

No.  It's more like sitting on the couch in a commonly-accepted, traditional way, and then having to deal with someone that shows up, sits down, and then lectures you regarding how they think you're sitting too close to them.  

Permalink Reply by David P. on July 26, 2019 at 4:51am

TL;DR version of this thread:

"Can we agree that it's bad etiquette to take up both posts of the typical upside down U racks that we have here in Chicago?"

"No."

Permalink Reply by Bob A. on August 2, 2019 at 11:34am

I have parked both ways, depending on the situation. There are pros and cons to each. I agree with the OP about the spacing issue. If you park parallel and someone parks next to you, it can be problematic. I posted here months ago about someone twisting my bike around (and scratching and denting it in the process) so they could park parallel (I was perpendicular) and lock their bike with two U locks. This was at a single rack on a wide sidewalk downtown where people commonly parked perpendicular to the rack. For two bikes to be parked parallel to the rack and each other, it can mean that the second cyclist has to touch the other person's bike to get their bike into place. I don't think that touching someone else's property is a good thing. The second person oftentimes may park in such a manner that their bike or lock is touching or is intertwined with the other person's bike. I have had scratches and marks left on my bike because of this. If someone really is in a hurry and/or isn't careful, they could accidentally loop their lock around the other person's bike. Also, it is usually harder to unlock your bike when someone else's bike is right next to it. I do like the greater stability created by locking up parallel to the rack, and this is my preferred method if it is unlikely that someone will parallel park next to me. When there is a greater likelihood of someone doubling up and there is enough sidewalk space, I would rather park perpendicular to the rack.

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