Farewell to Bike Port

After serving the Seattle bicycle community for eight years, Bike Port will close its doors at the end of December.  The facility first opened its doors in Pioneer Square in May 2003 and provided 24/7 secure bike parking and an in-house bicycle repair shop.  The Bicycle Alliance has managed the Bike Port facility since 2005 through a partnership with King County Metro, the City of Seattle, and Sound Transit.

As buildings in the downtown area created their own bike parking, the need for Bike Port services has declined.  Bike Port will be missed by those individuals who still need secure bike parking in the Pioneer Square area and we hope that on-demand bike lockers will be available in the future. 

The bike shop located in Bike Port is changing ownership and will remain in the Pioneer Square neighborhood.  Ben Rainbow, the current manager of the JRA Bike Shop housed in Bike Port, is opening Back Alley Bike Repair in February.  The shop will be located at 116 First Avenue S, with an entrance from the alley.  Check Back Alley’s Facebook page for more details.

Bike Cage Opens in Tacoma

Photo: Downtown on the Go

Bike commuting to downtown Tacoma just got a little easier with the opening of the Park Plaza North bike cage. You’ll find it on the fifth floor of the garage, directly across from the skybridge to Broadway.

The bike cage offers secure, 24/7 bike parking for folks who bike to work in downtown Tacoma. The cage, which comfortably accommodates a dozen bikes, is accessed with a security code. You provide your own bike lock. There’s a nominal fee to use the bike cage--$8 per quarter or $25 per year.

Ready to sign up? Just download the agreement from Downtown on the Go website, sign it, and return it with your payment. You’ll receive a personal security code to access the bike cage. Start parking!

There’s a grand opening ceremony for the Bike Cage this Wednesday, August 31 from 8-8:30am.  A second bike cage is in the works at Pacific Plaza.

Another One on Bicycle Parking

We've had lots of great blogs on bike parking, review them here.

I thought I'd bring the subject up again because something really exciting happened in Bellingham on July 27. We got our first bike corral. The City, thanks to Kim Brown, Transportation Options Coordinator Extraordinaire removed two on street parking lots and installed the corral on Bay Street in downtown Bellingham. You can fit 24 bikes into this space, it is even big enough for bikes with trailers to fit. I've walked past it a couple times since it went in and it has never been empty. In fact, during the Downtown Sounds concert Wednesday night, it was full, as was every tree and light post in the vicinity!

Does your town have a bike corral like this? Are there safe, convenient places to park your bike at your work, school or places you shop?

Location, location, location!

pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burd

In August, I wrote a post titled It's all about the bike rack that examined features of a good bike rack.  Today's post revisits the venerable bike rack, and explores things to consider when picking a location for it.

As a bicyclist, I am delighted to find a bike rack at my destination but, on occasion, I sometimes come across a bike rack that I cannot or will not use.  Why?  Because the bike rack has been poorly sited.


Easily spotted, covered, steps to the door.



Bike parking is a key factor in encouraging people to make trips by bike and where a bike rack is located determines whether and how much it will be used.  The bike rack pictured to the left is superbly located, in my opinion, and gets lots of use.  As a customer who arrives by bike, I feel welcome at this Seattle supermarket because the rack is located just steps from the entrance.  The bike parking is also protected from rain because it has been placed under the entrance covering.

Hidden away, inconvenient, unused.



On the other hand, I have never used the lonely bike rack shown at the right.  This rack is hidden away in the parking garage of another grocery store and I suspect that few bicycle patrons of this business even know it exists.  To their credit, the store has since installed a bike rack at entrance level and steps from their door, and this particular rack is regularly used.



Here are more examples of well-sited bike racks at locations that serve people making trips by bike:

On-street corral, downtown Vancouver

Redmond Transit Center.

Now for some examples of poorly placed bike racks that see little or no use:

 

Redmond arterial next to parking lot.

Seattle commercial property, too close to landscaping and sprinklers.

 

 

 

 

 

The Bicycle Alliance website has a section on bike parking, and includes our Retailer's Guide to Implementing Effective Bicycle Parking and APBP's Bicycle Parking Guidelines.  These documents offer guidance on selecting a well designed bike rack and recommendations on where to locate bike racks.

Bike rack needed here!

Bikes and Buses, Part 2: Bike Parking

Kristin Kinnamon of Community Transit is a bike commuter, bike advocate, and sits on the Bicycle Alliance of Washington's Board of Directors.  She wrote this article for the Community Transit blog and we would like to share it with you:

Bikes and Buses, Part 2:  Bike Parking

It's all about the bike rack

As more folks hop on their bikes to run errands, shop and go places--and Dave Shaw's June blog post clearly illustrates this is happening--the demand for bike parking increases. And the type of bike parking I'm referring to is the basic bike rack.

I'm not talking about those old "wheel bender" bike racks like this one in a school yard

or this one in an urban park.

Although both of these bike racks see regular use due to their locations, neither of them provide adequate support for the wheel and frame, and they are problematic to secure front wheel and frame with a u-lock. (Secure your front wheel to the bike rack if it has a quick release. I've seen way too many bikes missing their front wheels at bike racks.)

The kind of bike rack I'm talking about is conveniently located to my destination and allows me to easily secure my front wheel and frame to the bike rack. This "hitching post" type of rack is located in front of one of my favorite coffee shops in Seattle, and there's always a bike or two or three locked up to it.

This style of rack is popular in busy urban areas. Its slim profile allows it to fit nicely on sidewalks, and it's easy to lock your front wheel and bike frame to the rack with a u-lock.

Secure front wheel and frame to rack.

Good rack but poorly secured bike.

I like the "staple" and "hitching post" racks for their functionality, but they have an industrial look to them. Bike racks can be functional and esthetically pleasing. This bike rack in downtown Redmond has a slim profile, is functional, and beckons the traveling cyclist. Although this bike is only secured through the frame, it could easily have been locked through the front wheel and frame.

Here are two other bike rack designs that are commonplace. One features a "coat hanger" for attaching your bike; the other has an undulating appearance like a snake or ribbon. Since these racks require more space, you don't often see them on sidewalks.

Photo by Eileen Hyatt

Here's an interesting and colorful bike rack at a Spokane pizza parlor. It incorporates old bike frames into the design--recycling at its best! Again, this is a design that supports the wheel and frame, and allows both to be locked to the rack.

This final bike rack sits outside a professional building in Redmond and houses--you guessed it--four dental offices.
If you use your bike for transportation, it's helpful to know what constitutes a good bike rack. Someday, you might find yourself approaching a business or your workplace and asking them to install a bike rack for your use. You can find Bicycle Parking resources on the Bicycle Alliance of Washington's website, including our Shop by Bike Retailer's Guide to Effective Bicycle Parking.

They're on the Road

Yes, it's been cold and wet this spring. Yes, it's sometimes intimidating. Yes, it's hilly in Seattle. But there's lots of folks on the road. In the course of a couple of days I stopped at...

a coffee shop...

The library...

A grocery store...

And there were always folks on bikes there ahead of me.

Careful what you wish for....

What do bicyclists and rabbits have in common?

I recently received a link to a blog by a fellow named David Hembrow, who lives in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands. I felt such a kinship with the good news that his community has established bicycle parking in connection with transit -- in this case, a train station. I hope you were also as impressed as I was by the town's rush hour You Tube video on the blog.

But, I guess the bad news I also know so well is that there is still not enough. Bicycling and increases in parking enter into a marriage of sorts, and the union is blessed with a steady and prolific production of bicyclists.

That would make advocates for bicycle infrastructure like the marriage counselors, easing the troubles that any relationship would struggle with; money, communication skills, procreation vs recreation.

BTW and P --- The Unsung Reason Why Anyone Might Bike to Work.

Bicycle, check! Helmet, check. Bike To Work route, check. Secure parking, hmmmmmm.....

The key ingredient to a bicycle commuter's routine isn't any equipment, or even a sunny day. The one thing --- that will truly make bicycling a viable form of regular transportation --- is the peace of mind that comes from knowing your bike will be intact when you return to it at the end of the workday or errand.

I have had the experience of sharing space in a small office with my bike and all of my commuter gear. I have carted said bike up flights of stairs into a rented apartment that did not come with a garage. I rarely park on a standard outdoor rack if I cannot also see my bike from where I sip coffee, or shop. I carry a "New York" chain lock with a heavy duty pad lock and a cable leash for my seat and seat post. Blaming bike thieves for this way of life would be like shaking my fist at pigeons adorning my shoulder with droppings: this is the nature of bicycle transport life in a city like Seattle, or Portland, or San Francisco.

Amazingly, I now work in a bicycle parking facility in downtown Seattle in Pioneer Square District. As the manager of BIKE PORT, I regularly talk to bicyclists that express incredible gratitude for having indoor secure parking for their ride. Most of these folks bicycle commute all year long using the BIKE PORT, transforming into their work selves using the lockers and changing room. Lately, I have had a number of folks sign up for parking plans, who live downtown in condos or apartments that did not provide secure bike parking. Some have even bought bikes because they now had a place to park.

BTW month aside, there is a demographic for citizens that bicycle as transportation any time of year. They do not ride the same distances, or make the same incomes, or live in safer parts of town. No doubt they have had a bike or two stolen.