SOPO Bike Rack Option
Decatur Metro | May 26, 2010So, SOPO Bicycle Co-op will install this two-bike rack for $95 a pop. ($85 each additional)
Is this what people were thinking about installing down between The Marlay and Farm Burger? If so, how many? Do we want to look into the custom racks or “recycled bicycle frame” racks or just stick with the cheapest option?
If there’s general consensus, we’ll just need to get clarification from Chadwick about where we can install them on The Marlay property and I’ll contact some of the businesses in the area (and perhaps the Bike Decatur folks) about donating to cover the cost.
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I may see Daren (The Marley) at the velodrome tonight. I’ll let him know that this is afoot.
Thanks!!!
Thank you for proposing a real bike rack and not the obligatory institutional wheelbender.
Hey,
doesn’t Marlay Darren have two “r”s in his name?
Just looking fr easy shorthand…
like it! good research, I also emailed the owners of Farmburger and they are very interested in bike racks, ultimately it comes down to the owner of the building since they are just tenants.
Couple of comments: looks like it needs to be bolted to concrete. There is only one spot that would work on Farmburger side ( there is an old footing for a sign post right on the property line) – Ga. Power has an easement there, so would need to look into. On the post office side, would be hard to find a place where you could tap into concrete.
I have thought about a “bycycle bollard” that could be sunk in the dirt, otherwise a more typical rack would need to be considered.
I also think the city should consider the parking space credit idea. Most situations in “Lowcatur” are adaptive reuse of buildings. Unlike on the square, high thresholds for parking are required- to meet the code.The project becomes consumed by car parking concerns- which warps the whole outcome. Just look at the difference between the Leons property and the Watershed/Farmburger property. Can I get an Amen?
Amen! If Leon’s — and all our other great businesses in the heart of downtown — had been forced to meet our current parking code, our greatest asset would be a sprawling hellhole. No different than the intersection of Clairemont and N Decatur.
You’re a good man, Chadwick.
Er, that would be bicycle with an “i”.
Excuse me while I have a conversation with myself! I should have followed the link first- or read more closely ( was hard to read on Iphone). They can install on grass, I will get the ball rolling on this with Darren and the neighbors, thanks for all the input.
Thanks for your quick and amiable response!
Awesome Chadwick! Let me know if you need anything else from me on this and certainly keep us up-to-date on progress.
I don’t know about placement on grass. Frequent foot traffic will turn the grass into dirt (or mud) pretty quickly. Getting it on a concrete or asphalt would certainly make long-term maintenance less of an issue.
Nice rack!
Watch out for skateboarders…
What we need are sharp-cornered, crotch-level sidewalk protrusions to give pedestrians another reason to be safe in their cars while going from place to place.
True, even if snarky. The racks should be placed will outside the pedestrian walkway, especially where a rear wheel might inadvertently intrude into the sidewalk.
From the Association of Pedestrian & Bicycle Professionals’ “Bicycle Parking Guidelines”: “An empty rack should not create a tripping hazard for visually impaired individuals.” (pg 3). See that manual for additional placement guidelines.
A few thoughts: don’t get the recycled bike frame racks, bike frame walls are only about 0.02″ thick and easily cut by a hacksaw. Racks should have sturdy, thick walled tubing (as pictured in the SOPO ad). Placement on grass needs to be thought through since frequenty foot and tire traffic will wear the grass to dirt very quickly.
The City of Decatur and Association of Bicycle & Pedestrian professionals have both published bicycle parking guidelines. They set out placement and clearance dimensions to make sure that the racks are useful. The racks should not be placed in the pedestrian walkway while still be in a location clearly seen from whatever businesses the rack is serving.
To Byron’s point we (SoPo) do have both types of racks available, recylcled bike frame racks and the round tubing. Just let us know which one you would like. Decatur is a perfect city to ride bikes.
Nice to see the comments about solutions to the bike parking “problem” in Lower Decatur. Great work that SOPO is doing to get bike racks out in the metro area. I echo Byron’s points and would stress that whatever racks are installed, they meet the City code. The racks specified are the inverted U type racks and are the size dimensions recommended by the Association of Bicycle & Pedestrian Professionals (APBP). This size rack supports the bicycle frame well, provides ample places to lock the frame with a U-lock and fits bikes loaded down with racks, baskets, bags, etc.