[Please excuse the lateness of this reply. It was stuck in the OUT box,
and never got sent.]
Tim and Bikies -
When the Hilldale redevelopment came through the city committee system,
it came to PBMVC among others. Several commission members were very
clear that this development needed plentiful and appropriate types of
racks. The company doing the redevelopment seems on the ball as to urban
design, and was very open to, even appreciative of, our suggestions.
As a frequent shopper at Hilldale, I am all too familiar with the
shortcomings of the racks at various locations in the area. I have
complained to the managers of the hardware store various times, and have
been told that purchase, installation, and maintenance of the racks is
the responsibililty of the owners of the mall, not Ace Hardware. I'm not
sure that is the case, but I will quit bothering them until the
redevelopment is complete.
One comment I will make is that we each have a responsibility to comment
if we find the bike parking situtation good, bad, or somewhere in
between. Retailers respond to their customers, and they need to hear
from people who arrive by bike. If you love the type of rack and
placement, that is as important to mention as when things aren't good.
Fill out those comment cards, speak to the manager, or leave a note with
the clerk. Be as specific as possible. Tell them the rack design is
good, but the placement sucks, or the reverse: they got the placement
right, but it's not the right type.
As an alder, I am trying to get better and more bike parking in retail
area (and anywhere.) But I need your help. You each need to speak up as
shoppers, diners, employees, neighbors, or visitors to different areas
of the city. Make it a customer service issue. Tell shop owners and
managers that appropriate bike parking makes a difference to you in
selecting place to shop or play. You can bet they hear from drivers
about car parking. Make sure they hear from bicyclists as well.
But please be kind and constructive, if possible. Many managers or
planners simply don't know how to do good bike parking. I have dozens or
photos of places where they tried to do the right thing, but simply blew
it. Tell them specifically why the bike parking situation doesn't work.
Write it down if possible. Suggest they contact Arthur Ross or Bike Fed
for help correcting the situation.
Here are some problems I have observed:
Right rack, right placement, blocked by a seasonal display of plants for
sale. (Kohls at Midvale and University)
Right rack, almost right placement, but the rack is too close to the
wall, so your front wheel has nowhere to go. (Piney Branch Madison
Public Library)
Too few racks (many places)
Great racks, but not visible from main entrance (many places)
Great location, but wrong rack (Hilldale Ace Hardware)
My favorite was Home Depot on Verona Rd. I went down there last year to
pick up a few things and found they had used their racks to lock up the
rental rototillers and other garden equipment. Each perfect bike parking
"space" had a machine in it. Right by the door. Good racks. Good
placement. Fortunately, there was one space not occupied by a
rototiller, so I found a place to lock up.
One last comment about bike parking. If you find your requests are
ignored, you can file a complaint with the city Building Inspection
Dept. Every building built or substatially changed after 1988 must have
bike parking. They should have had it on their builidng plans filed with
the Planning Dept. The ordinance is very specific as to the size of a
"bicycle parking spae" and placement of racks. They must accomodate a
U-lock. I try to get the managers to correct the problem themselves, but
you can file a complaint if that doesn't work.
-- Robbie
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