I’ve noticed some concerning regression in my community these past few months: the removal of bike racks.
One school removed their racks just before kids returned to school this September. The result? Bikes are now chained to fences near the local park.
Yesterday, while picking up a few grocery items, I noticed that the bike rack that’s usually in front of the store was gone. No other rack was provided elsewhere.
Last year, my city removed numerous bike racks along a street that ironically has the only protected bike lanes.
All of these locations are busy with cycling traffic, so the need has always been there for these racks.
I’ve reached out to all these places with no reply, so I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m curious if this has been happening elsewhere.
I’ve seen only crappy racks removed where I live, and that’s because these fantastic giant tube racks that are almost too thick to fit my u-lock around have been popping up everywhere.
For a long while there were racks, but they all sucked. These, are just a giant tube cemented into the ground, that does two things. Provide something to lean your bike against, and provide something so secure to lock your bike to, that the weak point will always be your lock, rather than the rack.