Meet Decatur’s First Crowdsourced Bike Rack
Decatur Metro | February 21, 2011
Isn’t it beautiful?
OK, a little background. Back in May of last year, I posted a picture of at least six different bicycles chained to light-posts and trees in front of Farm Burger on a Saturday afternoon. The need for a bike rack in the area obvious and the pic led to a great conversation about city bike ordinances and how much we should rely on the city’s government to supply or require such things.
The owner of the neighboring Marlay property, Chadwick, quickly let us know that he was open to installing a bike rack on his property. After being tipped off by commenters, I followed up with a second post about SOPO’s bike rack installation program, and DM readers continued to provide guidance on the most affordable and practical options for bike rack purchase and installation.
And now today, I’m happy to report that I just received this pic from Darren at The Marlay showing that the bike rack has been installed and is ready for use! I’m not sure who paid for it, but we should certainly be appreciative to Chadwick and The Marlay folks for being receptive to installing a rack that should be a great resource for both The Marlay and its neighbors.
That’s community folks. And that’s also a primitive sort of crowd-sourcing. All it takes is a bunch of people with a diverse enough knowledge base and a willing property owner and you might just begin to accomplish some of the smaller things in your town that were once only possible as a result of the more traditional models of government.
Groovy.
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Awesome!
Great work!
What is that pole next to it?
Explain this style of bike rack to us novices, please. How many bikes fit in it? How do you keep them upright? I see the advantage over the kind you put your tire in but then have no way of using a U-lock.
I’m no cycling novice, and I don’t get this rack, either. Doesn’t look like it will hold more than 4 bikes or so (2 locked to each vertical pole). Is there a different way to attach the bikes?
You should speak with your no cycling novice friends. This is the rack that they all recommended.
As for the number of bikes it’ll hold, I see no reason to overdo it. Especially at first. If there’s insane amounts of demand, then Chadwick and Darren could reevaluate the situation. That seems like the smartest approach to me. No need to apply “car parking thinking” (more is better!) to bike racks.
Right — I don’t mean to criticize this thing, I just wasn’t sure if there really was a different protocol that maximized its space. I’m guessing they’ll need another rack. I’ve biked to Dancing Goats many times and there has often seemed to be a shortage of bike parking around there.
I think that model is just a better compromise in terms of space + ability to really secure your bike. Maybe you can only do 2 bikes, but you do it well, which is all you can say about racks with a much larger footprint (i.e., the only good locking spots are the ones at either end).
I can definitely see how this is optimal use of space if you had a series of racks along a sidewalk, placed parallel to the street.
Everytime I went to Farm Burger I asked when a bike rack was going to be placed. It was also discussed during a board of appeals meeting when Farm Burger received their parking variance, while not a condidtion of the variance, it was highly encouraged by the board members. It took a while, but I am glad it is there, thanks for facilitating the process DM!
By the way, does anyone know the history of building adjacent to the Marley. It seems like a very old building, I spoke with Melissa of the Decatur Historical Society and she had not info. Could it be an old mill, it sits right on Peavine Creek? I believe that parcel was originally part of Swantons Estate. Over the years I have looked for old pictures but did not find any.
By the way, one day I hope that bike rack could be replaced by a metal sculpture that would serve as public art and be able to lock bikes to. East Atlanta has some excellent examples of arty bike racks.
Seems like the challenge is that you’d still want it to look like a bike rack, so even an out-of-towner knew they were supposed to attached their bike to it, no?
BTW, I’m not entirely sure this basic bike rack couldn’t become public art itself. For instance, someone could volunteer to paint it with a really cool design…with permission of course!
Credit needs to go where it’s due. Darren at the Marlay took the initiative and wrote the check for the bike rack. It is business owners like Darren at the Marlay that help make Decatur a special place.
Amen!
Agreed! Thank you, Darren.
If you zoom in there’s a tiny sticker on it reading: Bike parking for The Marlay and Farm Burger patrons only. All other bikes will be booted.
Yes, of course I’m kidding. Thank you Darren, you are a good citizen as well as a great publican. And thanks DM, for rallying the citizenry.
HA!!!!!!
What terrific news to start the week! BIG PROPS to Darren of The Marley & neighbor Chadwick for making it happen! And BIG PROPS to DM for energizing folks to want to pitch in on projects that benefit the community! :0)
The nearby post is for parking pooches, right?
Thanks Deanne! But just to be clear, Darren is one of the proprietors of the Marlay, while Chadwick owns the property.
If you do google images with “street bike rack art” you get a bunch of incredibly cool bike racks.
Thanks to all concerned for the bike rack. While I personally won’t be using it, it leaves open parking spaces so quicker to the beer!
I love this blog. 18 comments (now 19, with mine) on a bike rack, and none on the SPLOST story. Yes, I know there are two hours’ difference in when they were posted, but still. Is a free-standing metal bar that much sexier than a tax? Dumb question. The answer is yes.
And this is useless comment number three for the day. Somebody please take away my keyboard before Karass smacks me over the head with it.
Wait, I’m with you on this one. Bike racks are sexier but new schools without SPLOST funding are scarier.
Why isn’t anyone posting over on the new No SPLOST thread? My guess is:
1. The kind of folks lucky enough to be biking everywhere carefree are less likely to have children between the ages of 3 and 12 (too heavy to carry or pull and too whiny to bike with) so aren’t as interested in school issues, even though they should be since no SPLOST might affect taxes for all of us.
2. Learned helplessness on the part of CSD parents: When your schools are going well for your kids, especially if you’ve just survived a reorg and come out pretty well, you tend to put your fingers in your ears and go “La, la, la, la, li” because it’s so easy to be discouraged and overwhelmed by local school system finances, politics, decisions, curriculum changes (this blog hasn’t even begun to address the State’s new and disruptive Math curriculum which is already being tossed), etc. Every once in a while your school is closed or you are moved to a new one or your child is bullied or needs “exceptional” services or some other non-Lake Wobegone event occurs, and you have to pull your fingers out of your ears and pay attention or transfer to private school.
I am going to remedy this situation and go post under the No Splost thread right now.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single cyclist in possession of a good bike, must be in want of a good rack.
I’m always in want of a good rack.
Are we still talking about a bike rack?
I have seen front forks draped over racks like this one, allowing one to u-lock the front wheel and frame to the rack in one fell swoop.
Preferring to preserve my paint job, I wrap a cable around the front wheel, thread it around the rack, then through a u-lock that fits the rear frame/wheel (and to the rack when possible).
Thus creating art.
Every tag in this post is pleasing!
Great to see! I had this idea a while back to have a contest on bike rack design. Kind of like ‘art’ as a functional bike rack (just like Cat said). They could be installed all over the City in the most needed areas. My first thought was to get GA state student studying iron sculpting involved. They could make it their final project. Does anyone else think this is a good idea and/or know of ways to implement such a project? I’d be more than willing to help coordinate. We’d love one at the Farmers Market site at N. McDonough and Trinity.
Uh-oh. To use this rack you’ll have to leave the pavement and you might get a speck of dirt on your fixie’s tire.