The Chainlink

what kind of bike parking infrastructure do we need?

So we're hearing a lot about bikes getting stolen, huh? And not just snapped cables, but people using cordless power tools, etc., and getting away quickly. I know this isn't a new phenomenon, but it does seem that the combination of poor economy+police budget cuts+lots of people riding bikes doesn't bode well for us.  Even the cop with whom I filed my stolen bike report told me that there had been a lot of similar reports this spring.  I worry especially about new cyclists--many of us will experience a bike getting stolen, and just get a new one or ride an old one, but a newer cyclist might just give up (not trying to demean new cyclists... I personally know several people who stopped riding after their bikes were stolen).  And I'm worried that some of the gains made by the bicycling community as far as safety and accessibility could be undone by bike thieves. 

To me, it seems that if our locks are so easily defeated, and the lock companies aren't keeping up, maybe it's the infrastructure that we should worry about. (Thinking long-term... nothing that will be resolved this summer). I spent some time in Sacramento last fall and there were bike lockers all over the place-- this seemed smart, although they do take up a lot of space. A law like the one recently passed in NYC requiring bicycle access in office buildings would help a lot in the Loop. But how could we think about secure parking in all neighborhoods, not just the Loop?  What about a shelter in which you need to scan an ID or swipe a credit card to lock your bike there?  Would you pay a fee or a valet to keep your bike safe? As far as I know, Active Trans and CDOT aren't working on parking security issues, but should they? 

I know we won't be able to outsmart every thief, but it just seems patently unfair that we are expected to leave valuable possessions outside all the time, and that it's not considered much of a serious crime when they are stolen. 


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Permalink Reply by Jared on May 3, 2010 at 11:09am
Out of curiosity how much do these bike lockers cost per month? I know thefts of bikes are fairly common but on average who would come out ahead? I've lived here 2.5 years and had one bike stolen (snapped the cable lock) and primarily keep my bike outside locked with a U-lock. Now I paid $180 (Schwinn Traveler) for my bike which is probably at the top end of what they go for, though I have spent money on accessories and repairs. I guess personally I wouldn't be willing to pay to prevent theft, but I'm sure some would.
Permalink Reply by Pablo on May 3, 2010 at 3:19pm
This is slightly off topic but I'll post it anyway. My experience with the Department of Zoning is that they do not allow showers in office spaces. They think people will use the office for an apartment. Has anyone else encountered this situation or been deterred by the lack of showers in the office setting? In our office we installed a clandestine shower but we are waiting for a police raid any day.
Permalink Reply by Adam "Cezar" Jenkins on May 3, 2010 at 8:17pm
What's my knee jerk reaction?

http://vimeo.com/6475675

In reality, I would like more indoor parking, especially in the loop and places like Lincoln Park, etc. If people have to start lugging around the heavy duty chains, they will (like NYC). I think a sting operation would be great, but as you said, police budgets being what they are, I doubt that will happen soon.
Permalink Reply by Erin on May 3, 2010 at 8:20pm
Are you saying you believe that installing a shower in an office is against Chicago's zoning code? If so, that is not true; plenty of office spaces have showers, including mine. Our office is a LEED Gold space and I believe we got a LEED point for installing bicycle facilities (shower and a place to park our bikes inside).

Pablo said:
This is slightly off topic but I'll post it anyway. My experience with the Department of Zoning is that they do not allow showers in office spaces. They think people will use the office for an apartment. Has anyone else encountered this situation or been deterred by the lack of showers in the office setting? In our office we installed a clandestine shower but we are waiting for a police raid any day.
Permalink Reply by heather s on May 3, 2010 at 10:05pm
Yes, LEED does give points for bike parking and showers--and I believe they have to be free of charge. At my old office building, there was a small and fairly inexpensive gym which had showers, but we couldn't get LEED points for it unless the employer paid for membership (which they did not do).

Re bike lockers-- I think I remember the Sacramento lockers being $2 per day. I guess this would be worth it to me if the other option was to leave my bike outside in a high-theft area all day, but it does add up. Who would come out ahead?... probably the locker company, if you used it long enough. I'd rather pay small amounts every day to keep a bike I like than buy a new bike when one is stolen, but on principle I think bike parking should be free or very cheap.
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on May 3, 2010 at 10:21pm
Read about how people in California use debit-based electronic bike lockers at train station.
BikeLink electronic bike lockers.
Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on May 4, 2010 at 8:21am
Does anyone use the valet parking services and showers at the Millennium Park Bicycle Station? http://www.chicagobikestation.com/
There should certainly be more of these in the loop, or at least some kind of secure bicycle parking area that is watched and guarded. There is also free valet bike parking at Wrigley Field (one of the best things in the city, actually), and I think other popular destinations could and should be encouraged to offer such services. This seems to me to be absolutely something that ATA and CDOT should begin to focus on, if they have not already. I know ATA offered guarded valet parking at the Green Fest last year, and Pitchfork also has oversight at their massive parking site. As for the invisible hand, it seems a market has emerged for cycle bars that allow patrons to bring their rides inside for a drink. I suppose that opens up all kinds of liability issues, but I remember the drive-through liquor store in Ann Arbor, so anything is possible, right?
Permalink Reply by dan brown on May 4, 2010 at 8:45am
this is a good thread and timely too.

I hope we can look to ATA as well for some ideas and to be a collective voice for cyclists.

Dan
Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on May 4, 2010 at 8:55am
I used to use the bike station, but it's location makes it somewhat irksome. When I discovered that my previous job's building had an indoor room for biking, I started to use that. Having the shower is nice, but not necessary for most days.


Also, note that if you do sign up with them, it is very difficult to quit. I know that they have a waiting list...which might be because they don't let people suspend their membership and automatically renew. They are great in theory, but in operation, they don't function all that well.

I'm lucky that my current office has indoor parking and a locker room. It really makes biking to work very easy.

Now, as for my neighborhood...i just bring my bike inside every day. It's not ideal, but it certainly works.



Moc Artsy said:
Does anyone use the valet parking services and showers at the Millennium Park Bicycle Station? http://www.chicagobikestation.com/
There should certainly be more of these in the loop, or at least some kind of secure bicycle parking area that is watched and guarded. There is also free valet bike parking at Wrigley Field (one of the best things in the city, actually), and I think other popular destinations could and should be encouraged to offer such services. This seems to me to be absolutely something that ATA and CDOT should begin to focus on, if they have not already. I know ATA offered guarded valet parking at the Green Fest last year, and Pitchfork also has oversight at their massive parking site. As for the invisible hand, it seems a market has emerged for cycle bars that allow patrons to bring their rides inside for a drink. I suppose that opens up all kinds of liability issues, but I remember the drive-through liquor store in Ann Arbor, so anything is possible, right?
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 4, 2010 at 9:07am
At my old office, they used some vacant space on one floor to create an amenities center - a small gym (free to all tenants, with lockers and showers) next to a bike room (free, required authorization for that room to be added to your building security card) and a large conference room (available for rental to tenant businesses). That was a very nice amenity, indeed.

Pablo said:
This is slightly off topic but I'll post it anyway. My experience with the Department of Zoning is that they do not allow showers in office spaces. They think people will use the office for an apartment. Has anyone else encountered this situation or been deterred by the lack of showers in the office setting? In our office we installed a clandestine shower but we are waiting for a police raid any day.
Permalink Reply by heather s on May 4, 2010 at 9:39am
I wish there had been one of these closer to where I worked in the Loop... it wasn't really worth it to have to walk two miles or so to get to my building.

It does seem to me that most bars that have an outdoor patio have enough space for bike racks. But that gets into a couple problems--most bars probably prefer that people use one entrance only so they can be carded, and patios usually close before the bar does. Hard to imagine being allowed to bring bikes indoors altogether, at least on a busy night.


Moc Artsy said:
Does anyone use the valet parking services and showers at the Millennium Park Bicycle Station? http://www.chicagobikestation.com/
There should certainly be more of these in the loop, or at least some kind of secure bicycle parking area that is watched and guarded. There is also free valet bike parking at Wrigley Field (one of the best things in the city, actually), and I think other popular destinations could and should be encouraged to offer such services. This seems to me to be absolutely something that ATA and CDOT should begin to focus on, if they have not already. I know ATA offered guarded valet parking at the Green Fest last year, and Pitchfork also has oversight at their massive parking site. As for the invisible hand, it seems a market has emerged for cycle bars that allow patrons to bring their rides inside for a drink. I suppose that opens up all kinds of liability issues, but I remember the drive-through liquor store in Ann Arbor, so anything is possible, right?
Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on May 4, 2010 at 9:54am
No one is going to build a lot of cycling specific infrastructure, so the thing to look at is how to retrofit existing infrastructure to fit bikes.

CTA is probably part of the answer. A lot of stations are too small to install the kind of double stacked racks they have at the 35th St. stop on the Red Line, but if the city installed them in stations that aren't that would create a fair amount of really secure parking.

The city could "encourage" parking garages to provide space for cyclists to lock up, perhaps for a nominal fee.

By way of encouraging more businesses to provide secure lockups, maybe ATA should look into some criteria to designate certain places (think the Handlebar) as being cyclist friendly. If the criteria made sense I'd certainly go out of my way to spend money at places that had a sticker of approval in the window.

Really (and sadly) the answer is probably just that people should start carrying around those ridiculous New York locks. Might be wrong but I don't think you can angle grind your way through one of those.

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