As increasing numbers of people make the choice to bicycle to various destinations around town the need for more and better bicycle parking becomes apparent.
The City of Pasadena has done a good job in recent years of installing many new bike racks to help keep up with increasing needs. There are currently over a thousand public bike racks clustered throughout the city at convenient locations.
Still more are needed though as the bike racks are beginning to fill up. More off-sidewalk and protected bicycle corrals in areas of higher usage, such as Old Pasadena, would be of particular help.
Bike rack design does make a difference. It is important that the bike rack provides sufficient support and locking options for bicycles and not create tripping hazards for pedestrians. The current standard is the upside-down-U-shaped rack, which is fully functional and practical for large-scale use.
Covered bike parking is available at two of the Metro Gold Line stations in Pasadena. Del Mar station has an entire room devoted to bike parking with multilevel racks for around 20 bicycles. Memorial Park station has bike lockers where another 20 or so bikes can be completely secured in their own little cubby.
Bike parking doesn’t have to be boring, though. Decorative bike racks can add an artistic twist to the generally utilitarian styling of standard bike racks. Many cities throughout the world are installing racks that double as sculpture and parking.
One particularly effective design that seems to be gaining popularity in many cities is the bicycle-shaped bike rack. These provide a secure option for bicycle parking while at the same time providing some artistic flair to the local area. While not in use they are an excellent reminder to ride a bicycle on your next trip.
Becoming more familiar with the bike parking options in one’s local area will ease the transition to choosing the bicycle for certain transportation needs. With more bike racks out there (especially the artsy ones) more will be noticed and more people will ride. And then we’ll need even more racks – what a great cycle…
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