Sad Racks Episode #14b

Halloween is coming! And this bike parking area is ready! Come park in a poorly-lit corner of a dingy parking garage! Marvel at the duct work and lavish coating of grit, eek! Anyone parking their bike is left wondering, “Um, what will happen to my bike?” And then upon hearing a creak from the subterranean depths, “Wait … what will happen to ME!?”  

Functional and pleasant bike parking is a key investment for any real estate project. And when it goes wrong, it can be plain scarrrry, not to mention cost a bundle to fix.

Is this rack beyond sad? Yes, it’s a….horror:

• With no signage or wayfinding (we looked!) how would a cyclist know this rack exists? Even building residents or workers would have to be in-the-know.
• And if a rider knew about the rack, what is the journey like to get there? Harrowing, creepy, ghoulish.
• Security is an obvious issue here. Bike thieves wouldn’t have to wait until the dead of night to remove bikes, even those with strong locks. 
• Who doesn’t shudder when they go to the basement and… it’s dark as a crypt? Bring out the lights!
• Although we wouldn’t recommend putting racks in this location period, the space would benefit from a directional arrow or two.
• Developers seem to love the wave rack, but it’s tough to lock your bike to one of these, especially if you have a cargo bike, a recumbent, or otherwise odd-shaped bicycle. Despite the size of the rack, this is really just parking for two bikes. Nothing says “we might eat youYour environment isn’t important to us” like a room with more paint on the floor than on the walls. There’s no reason to put bikes in the dungeon.
• There seems to be some junk lying around; a reminder that this is a forgotten land.

It’s simple and cost-effective to avoid terrorizing bike parking users! Be part of a movement that limits halloween facilities to official Haunted Houses! Don’t be scared – you can talk to us about it.