The new giant Kensington sign is really nice! Just look at that bike parking! And it looks like a big bike chain. It's really useful.
[img_assist|nid=3942|title=Locking to poles on Augusta|desc=|link=node|align=center|width=500|height=375]
I don't want to complain all the time, but I thought it would useful to point out the drawbacks to putting most of the bike parking on the edge of the market. There are still lots of people (myself included) who don't want to park on the outskirts and then walk in (particularly when cars can still park right in front of the stores). Thus people still end of locking to any available pole.
[img_assist|nid=3943|title=Bike parked on Kensington, near St. Andrew|desc=|link=node|align=center|width=500|height=375]
When people go shopping on the south east end of Kensington they don't really want to have to walk all that way from the top of Augusta when they can just bike down and free-lock their bike in front of the stores.
I truly do applaud the work the city has done here, a very nice sign. I hope what comes next is a bike rack colonizing one of those car parking spots. It's a shame that even in the heart of heaviest bike and pedestrian traffic in city the infrastructure is still poor.
Comments
vic
Nice rack, indeed
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 14:27Yup, it's a beauty. Glad to see more bike parking there, which is desperately needed.
I agree that they still need more, all around the market. Take away a few car parking spaces here and there, and replace them with bike racks. One car that's carrying typically 1, 2, or maybe 3 people, versus bike racks for many more bicycles... Overall, a major increase in parking availability, without taking away space from pedestrians on those insanely narrow/crowded sidewalks.
Here's a great example from Portland, courtesy Streetfilms:
http://www.streetfilms.org/portland-bike-parking/
I'd love to see this happen in many parts of the city. College St. in Little Italy is another spot that would really work well too, I think.
James (not verified)
Lock your rear wheel
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 15:25It's too bad we aren't comfortable doing what the rest of the world does (at least in cities that have lots of bicycles) - just lock your rear wheel.
In China, they just paint a section of the sidewalk to designate it for bike parking: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_PK0EOWvC8YI/S9zgy5CzZbI/AAAAAAAAGd4/BVfMXGFtMlg/s1...
Few people actually secure their bike to the ground. They simply lock up the rear wheel so someone can't ride away with the bike (even when there is an object to lock the bike to)
vic
Wheel locking
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 16:07Yeah, that would be awesome if simple wheel locking was good enough. Or just not locking at all. That's probably how it used to be, even here in Toronto...
Imagine the cost savings for unnecessary infrastructure, racks, locks, insurance, etc..etc... if we didn't have to worry about theft.
But even in the places where many people simply wheel lock or don't lock at all (e.g. Netherlands and Denmark), there's still a huge amount of bike theft. Or "recreational theft", where bikes are just stolen for the hell of it and thrown into the canals. (Side note: even more amusing is that in Amsterdam, people have started taking a fancy to throwing those little mini-cars into the canals too).
Bike fishing in Amsterdam:
http://impressive.net/people/gerald/2003/06/19/14-05-26-sm.html
Stupid mini gas-powered cars in Amsterdam bike lanes:
http://vic.gedris.org/pics/2009-07-06/MD-2009-07-06-010.html
huiot (not verified)
locking vs. Bixi
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 18:25I'll join Bixi, just to I can do errands by bike, but not lose my own. I had Urbane Cycle build me a good, but non-descript, bike for city riding. However, since it was the first big gift my then-fiancee (now wife) gave me, I cannot endure the suspense of locking it outside and wondering if it is still there.
westsidecyclist (not verified)
use more than one lock;
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 15:49use more than one lock; nothing is 100% theft-proof, but it's better than owning something you are afraid to use. I survived an overnight on a Friday at Queen and Bathurst during the Kenk heyday with two locks (not the smartest decision i ever made, but, then again, my judgment might not have been the best that night).
huiot (not verified)
not with ten locks
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 17:54My wife gave it to me as a thank you for the diamond ring I gave her, as a return gift of significant value is the custom in her country (albeit usually an expensive watch, but I would not have worn it). I use the bike, but it, and all my bikes, stay inside overnight. I have a fixie I'll lock outside for minutes at a stretch, as it is worth less than $1K, but that's neither the best shopping bike, nor much fun to increase its weight with the necessary iron to lock it.
hamish (not verified)
maybe reclaim public land?...
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 23:17Yes, to more bike parking, and I do like the look of this new rack - it's pleasant change from what was there before.
But sooo many of the merchants and stores have enclosed public space well beyond the property lines right up to the sidewalks, and now some stores are pushing into the sidewalk too. Sure, some of it is "charm" but some of it is just ripping off the public for private gain. So maybe more bike parking space could be clawed back from privatized spaces (though at times maybe some of the merchants pay some rental for the space, i don't know)