A lone bike (mine) leans against the trash can outside the West Albany McDonald’s on April 30.
The bike you see here was leaning against a trash can because I didn’t want to lean it against the plate glass windows. Which brings me to the topic for today…
The topic is this: It wouldn’t save the world, but it would be nice if more Albany businesses had racks where customers could park their bikes.
State and local governments in Oregon go to all kinds of trouble, on paper anyway, to promote active transportation. They spend years on surveys and “public engagement” and eventually publish elaborate plans for routes that cyclists could use without risking their necks in traffic.
These plans, though, are not likely ever to be carried out. There is neither the money nor the public support for expensive bike infrastructure.
Bike racks outside a business, though, don’t have to be expensive. I just looked at one online, a “one-loop bike rack” that looks like an upside-down U and sells for $230. The same company sells a “double-sided grid” rack with an advertised capacity of 18 bikes for $650.
Albany’s development code has requirements for bike parking for different kinds of land uses. For commercial or office development, the code requires one bike space for every 10 automobile parking spaces, with a minimum of two spots for bikes.
Now that Albany has repealed minimum requirements for auto parking, maybe the bike parking rules are gone as well. And in any case, the requirements apply only to new development.
There are bike racks outside Albany City Hall, the Linn County Courthouse and the post office, to mention three public buildings that come to mind.
Albany is small and flat enough to make cycle trips possible for almost any errand, even for picking up a meal to go at McDonald’s. Suitable racks at business destinations might encourage more people to make those trips on their bikes. (hh)
What frustrates me are stores like Fred Meyer that sell bicycle looking objects, but have some of the crappiest/most inconvenient bicycle parking to be had.
This comes off as arrogant and entitled.
And your apparent desire to use the power of government to impose your will doesn’t sit well with me.
So let’s not advocate that local government discriminate and show favoritism to bikers.
I get around on e-skates, e-scooter, and an e-hoverboard. Not easy for a self-identified transabled person, but I manage.
Would you be okay with the city forcing every private business to install a rack and rechargers for people like me?
Hasso: you have again given credence to Anony Mouse’s claim of having cut off his feet, so therefore he is a “transabled” person. You have done this by printing his comments on being “transabled.” Enough already! We get it, Mouse: you are slamming e-scooters, the disabled, and trans people, and society for trying to be more inclusive. We get it! You are a selfish smart aleck. Stop it.
You must be extremely short, because a lot of stuff goes over your head, Haven’t you ever heard of “Tongue In Cheek”?
Maybe if you weren’t looking to be offended, life would be better?
Please forward this to Albany council. I’d love to see more bike parking around town.
Small things count, having more bike racks outside stores would encourage people to use bikes more, in addition for the stores to get more customers in.