We don't need bike to work week
We need more bike parking for the people who already do ride. This morning was ridiculous. Took me literally half an hour to find bike parking centered on Clark and LaSalle. Why even put on bike to work week, or add all these new bike lanes into the city, when bike parking is so bad. Oh yeah, I forgot, bike parking doesn't make for a nice photo op for the mayor and Active trans...
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Serge Lubomudrov on -
I think even if all the old meters were left in place, it would not solve bike parking problem.
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Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on -
There were a LOT of meters back then -and at 600/year new bike racks going in, even if we count each bike rack = 2 meters, it'll be 50 years to get back to where we were before the meters all got yanked out.
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Permalink Reply by h' 1.0 on -
Sorry Serge, got to disagree here-- I have no doubt I would be able to find something to lock to downtown if the meters were still there. One time last year I actually locked one end of my bike to a news stand and the other end to a weird post with a ring on it of unknown usage. There was nothing else, nothing at all, for blocks. Now I avoid taking the bike downtown-- it's just a liability.
Were you cycling in Chicago before the meters were removed? I think you're underestimating the number of spaces lost.
Serge Lubomudrov said:I think even if all the old meters were left in place, it would not solve bike parking problem.
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Permalink Reply by Serge Lubomudrov on
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Sorry, Howard, but I don't disagree with you.
Of course, removal of the meters did not help. It's a given.
But . . . really, would it solve the problem? Somehow, I doubt there would be more and more meters to keep up with increased demand for bike parking.
No?
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Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on
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I think the shift in mode share to the point where all the meters would have been full of parked bikes is still a LONG way in the future. Perhaps I'm not as optimistic as Serge. You'll get people out of cars when you pry their cold dead fingers off of the steering wheels...
Plus, now we'll never know because that rug was yanked out from under us by Daley and his crony goons.
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Permalink Reply by h' 1.0 on
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Serge, were you in Chicago at that time?
We went from always being able to find something to lock to to complete "WTF" in the course of about 3 weeks. At some point the city bike program woke up to what was happening, and got one "courtesy" meter per block saved in the areas that had not yet been stripped of meters, which unfortunately by that time did not include most of the central area. It doesn't seem that hard to conceive of the new racks that are still being installed at 600 per year being somewhere near adequate had the meters been left for bike parking, so I am wondering if there's some basic misunderstanding here I'm not keying in on. You realize the meters lined most downtown streets, right? 20 or 30 per block?
Serge Lubomudrov said:Sorry, Howard, but I don't disagree with you.
Of course, removal of the meters did not help. It's a given.
But . . . really, would it solve the problem? Somehow, I doubt there would be more and more meters to keep up with increased demand for bike parking.
No?
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Permalink Reply by Justin B Newman on -
Just to quantify this a bit, city-wide there were somewhere about 36,000 meters. Assume 25% were "saved". (Removal of 27,000). Assume all were "double headed". 13,500 poles. Each bike rack has 2 "poles". That means 6,750 bike racks are required to replace every meter in the city. 600 bike racks per year.
So, at the current rate of installation, Chicago will be "back to where it was" in 11.25 years. And that's with some generous assumptions. I suspect the number is more accurately 15-25 years.
And that's just to return the city to where it was, not taking into account locations that don't have meters, but still need racks...
-jbn
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Permalink Reply by Julie Hochstadter on -
Such a waste that more meters weren't able to be retrofitted. Would have saved a lot of money and resources in the end, right? (I'm no expert in economics, urban planning, etc.)
Is it true that the meter deal itself was a catalysis in the jump in cyclists commuting downtown?
Justin B Newman said:Just to quantify this a bit, city-wide there were somewhere about 36,000 meters. Assume 25% were "saved". (Removal of 27,000). Assume all were "double headed". 13,500 poles. Each bike rack has 2 "poles". That means 6,750 bike racks are required to replace every meter in the city. 600 bike racks per year.
So, at the current rate of installation, Chicago will be "back to where it was" in 11.25 years. And that's with some generous assumptions. I suspect the number is more accurately 15-25 years.
And that's just to return the city to where it was, not taking into account locations that don't have meters, but still need racks...
-jbn
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Permalink Reply by Charlie Short 11.5 on -
2008 saw record gas prices, and ridership jumped pretty significantly in the loop that summer Julie, so that pre-dates the meter deal. I'd guess neighborhoods like Lakeview, Pilsen and Wicker Park/Bucktown saw an increase in ridership after the meter deal.
I wonder if anyone knows how many meters were actually in the loop before the parking meter deal? I seem to remember that parking meters were mostly removed after 2001 and replaced by pay boxes in the loop. This is not to negate the concern over bike parking, but I think that the Loop was already deficient in bike parking spaces before the meter deal.
Julie Hochstadter said:Such a waste that more meters weren't able to be retrofitted. Would have saved a lot of money and resources in the end, right? (I'm no expert in economics, urban planning, etc.)
Is it true that the meter deal itself was a catalysis in the jump in cyclists commuting downtown?
Justin B Newman said:Just to quantify this a bit, city-wide there were somewhere about 36,000 meters. Assume 25% were "saved". (Removal of 27,000). Assume all were "double headed". 13,500 poles. Each bike rack has 2 "poles". That means 6,750 bike racks are required to replace every meter in the city. 600 bike racks per year.
So, at the current rate of installation, Chicago will be "back to where it was" in 11.25 years. And that's with some generous assumptions. I suspect the number is more accurately 15-25 years.
And that's just to return the city to where it was, not taking into account locations that don't have meters, but still need racks...
-jbn
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Permalink Reply by Duppie 13.5185km on -
Google StreetView to the rescue. This image, from March 2009 looking at 109 N Franklin shows parking meters still in place
Charlie Short said:2008 saw record gas prices, and ridership jumped pretty significantly in the loop that summer Julie, so that pre-dates the meter deal. I'd guess neighborhoods like Lakeview, Pilsen and Wicker Park/Bucktown saw an increase in ridership after the meter deal.
I wonder if anyone knows how many meters were actually in the loop before the parking meter deal? I seem to remember that parking meters were mostly removed after 2001 and replaced by pay boxes in the loop. This is not to negate the concern over bike parking, but I think that the Loop was already deficient in bike parking spaces before the meter deal.
Julie Hochstadter said:Such a waste that more meters weren't able to be retrofitted. Would have saved a lot of money and resources in the end, right? (I'm no expert in economics, urban planning, etc.)
Is it true that the meter deal itself was a catalysis in the jump in cyclists commuting downtown?
Justin B Newman said:Just to quantify this a bit, city-wide there were somewhere about 36,000 meters. Assume 25% were "saved". (Removal of 27,000). Assume all were "double headed". 13,500 poles. Each bike rack has 2 "poles". That means 6,750 bike racks are required to replace every meter in the city. 600 bike racks per year.
So, at the current rate of installation, Chicago will be "back to where it was" in 11.25 years. And that's with some generous assumptions. I suspect the number is more accurately 15-25 years.
And that's just to return the city to where it was, not taking into account locations that don't have meters, but still need racks...
-jbn
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Permalink Reply by Charlie Short 11.5 on
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Ooh. Excellent. I didn't mean to poo-poo, it was serious question. I'll have to check some spots my self, because I think around the corner from there was a city pay box on Washington. I'd actually like to know how many spaces we lost in different parts of town.
I'll also point out that regardless of what the city does, there are times when bike parking gets taken out without the bike programs knowledge, or spots never get installed because of other departments (water, streets and san) work. If you live in Rogers Park right now, theres a bunch of bike parking (along with sidewalks and other important stuff, like the street) that got ripped apart because of really crappy utility work. Unfortunately, this happens way too much, and often bikers aren't getting the worst of it. Many senior citizens and moms with kids can't access public transportation in corridors like this for huge stretches of time (Clark is still really nasty.) On the plus side, Rogers Park is full of awesome folks and work is being done to fix the mess (and the folks involved actually know what's happening.)
Advocating to your alderman, local businesses, SSA's and other invested parties is what's going to make a difference for bike parking, and it's only going to help other folks too (like ped's). Someone asked why only federal dollars are used to install bike racks. Ask your alderman. Find out what they are spending your 1.2 million dollars a year on. City resources can only be dedicated to projects if the Mayor and Alderman say so (that's not an invitation to critique, just an observation/statement.) Tell the Alderman what you want. For the original poster, it's Alderman Reilly who you can contact about getting more bike racks at this location. Reilly has spent a whole bunch of money on bike stuff (again, I know it's not "enough," but check out this list): Grand and Illinois Bike lanes, Kinzie Protected Bike Lane and Wells Buffered Bike Lane just in the last two years, and that's big stuff.
As far as what could have been done and what wasn't, and what may or may not happen in the future I say this: talk to someone now, inundate all the folks I just mentioned. Email me (I get a lot of city inquiries because of the work I do), email the commissioners of departments and aldermen. Attend committee meetings. Talk, talk, talk. There are great ideas on this board. Get them to the right people, or at the very least, get them to me and I'll get them to the right people.
Thanks Chainlink,
Charlie Short
Program Manager
CDOT Bike Safety and Education
charlie.short@cityofchicago.org
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Permalink Reply by Julie Hochstadter on
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Thanks Charlie for getting involved in this conversation since you know first hand more of the ins and outs of local bike legislation, budgets, and how the city works.
Charlie Short said:Ooh. Excellent. I didn't mean to poo-poo, it was serious question. I'll have to check some spots my self, because I think around the corner from there was a city pay box on Washington. I'd actually like to know how many spaces we lost in different parts of town.
I'll also point out that regardless of what the city does, there are times when bike parking gets taken out without the bike programs knowledge, or spots never get installed because of other departments (water, streets and san) work. If you live in Rogers Park right now, theres a bunch of bike parking (along with sidewalks and other important stuff, like the street) that got ripped apart because of really crappy utility work. Unfortunately, this happens way too much, and often bikers aren't getting the worst of it. Many senior citizens and moms with kids can't access public transportation in corridors like this for huge stretches of time (Clark is still really nasty.) On the plus side, Rogers Park is full of awesome folks and work is being done to fix the mess (and the folks involved actually know what's happening.)
Advocating to your alderman, local businesses, SSA's and other invested parties is what's going to make a difference for bike parking, and it's only going to help other folks too (like ped's). Someone asked why only federal dollars are used to install bike racks. Ask your alderman. Find out what they are spending your 1.2 million dollars a year on. City resources can only be dedicated to projects if the Mayor and Alderman say so (that's not an invitation to critique, just an observation/statement.) Tell the Alderman what you want. For the original poster, it's Alderman Reilly who you can contact about getting more bike racks at this location. Reilly has spent a whole bunch of money on bike stuff (again, I know it's not "enough," but check out this list): Grand and Illinois Bike lanes, Kinzie Protected Bike Lane and Wells Buffered Bike Lane just in the last two years, and that's big stuff.
As far as what could have been done and what wasn't, and what may or may not happen in the future I say this: talk to someone now, inundate all the folks I just mentioned. Email me (I get a lot of city inquiries because of the work I do), email the commissioners of departments and aldermen. Attend committee meetings. Talk, talk, talk. There are great ideas on this board. Get them to the right people, or at the very least, get them to me and I'll get them to the right people.
Thanks Chainlink,
Charlie Short
Program Manager
CDOT Bike Safety and Education
charlie.short@cityofchicago.org
© 2008-2013 The Chainlink Community, L.L.C. Julie Hochstadter, Director
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