Carbon Trace

How do you encourage people to use bicycles as basic transportation? There are no easy answers to that question, but there is a general guideline that I think should be the foundation of most answers: Create proper infrastructure. We can, of course, argue about what (and what amount) constitutes “proper.”

Providing places for bicycles to park close to downtown attractions meets my understanding of “proper” in the context of encouraging people to think of downtown Springfield as a cycling destination. The city and developers have been adding bicycle racks recently. I’m pleased to report that these are frame-supporting racks.

This is South Street looking south toward the Mudhouse coffee shop. Wave racks like this one are appearing throughout the downtown area along sidewalks. Some of these racks are placed so one parking position is cut off. Here, obviously, no one can park on the right outside portion of the rack because it is next the the building. I found a few wave racks placed close enough the the street to cut off one parking position.

A rack such as this one, positioned properly, should be able to hold five bicycles comfortably — one each on the outside and one each in the center slots. I suspect the position reflects a general lack of space on the sidewalk. These are great areas for U-racks (see more on U-racks below).

The city wave racks bolt into the sidewalk. This one on McDaniel Street, near properties that MSU leases, is like the wave racks on campus — cemented into a dedicated pad off the sidewalk. This represents one of the best solutions because a rack such as this can hold many bicycles comfortably, and it doesn’t impede pedestrian traffic.

The one problem with racks used by college students is that an alarming number of them get filled up with abandoned bicycles. Of the four parked here (this was fairly early Saturday morning), two appeared to me to be abandoned. Notice the one in the foreground is missing a seat.

The square is home to restaurants, a coffee shop, a library station, MSU, government services, and a few other odds and ends. It is also under redevelopment. This is the northwest corner outside the Heer’s building. There are now wave racks on all four corners of the square. The city added an additional rack outside the library station.

It is common for the racks outside the library to fill. The new rack on the southeast corner, where I park my bicycle, is beginning to attract users. For the most part, the new racks have made parking against sign posts and light poles less attractive. I’m happy about that. Parking against posts and poles is unsightly. But cyclists will use such structures if nothing else is available.

The bus terminal downtown offers long-term bicycle parking in these storage units. I’ve never used one. I have no idea what they look like inside. And I have no idea how often they are used. The whole arrangement doesn’t look attractive to me — either as a parking option or as an intrusion on the cityscape.

I’m wondering if it would be better to provide covered parking for wave racks on this space. These boxes hold four bicycles in a space that could easily accommodate 10 or more. If you’ve ever seen pictures of European bicycle parking, well, you know they could get 110 or more bicycles in this space

These racks are inside the parking garage just to the east of the movie theater in the College Station urban entertainment district. This covered area can park eight bicycles. Two little problems: The rack on the left has been placed uncomfortably close to a big pipe of some kind. And the area is a bit cramped. If eight cyclists actually parked here at one time, there might be a bit of a traffic jam.

I’m happy to see bicycles accommodated in this garage. But it doesn’t appear the developer consulted a knowledgeable cyclist. My first choice would would have been to provide a wave rack across two or three regular parking spaces near the garage entrance.

This parking spot is located in a new outdoor car park on the north side of the theater at College Station. I’m not sure what the developer was thinking. These nice U-racks are great for providing bicycle parking in limited space such as along narrow sidewalks. Look at how much space has been wasted by choosing the wrong style rack. Two wave racks here could provide comfortable parking for a dozen bicycles.

Is there a need to park a dozen bicycles here? I think there will be. When the theater opens and the entire complex is complete I suspect we’ll see many college students flocking here from MSU and Drury. College Station is a very short and easy ride from both schools. And we know college students ride their bicycles downtown.

This is behind the Wilhoit Plaza, which will soon be the new home of The Moxie. There is another wave rack like this one about 20 yards to the left. Both filled on a Saturday morning. Despite the one leaner you see there, none of these bicycles appeared to be abandoned. Considering the number of restaurants, residential lofts, other attractions here, I’d say they need more bicycle parking. I think it’s a certainly that The Moxie will draw more cyclists to its new location.

Just north of here, at the YMCA, is one of the few wheel-bender racks you’ll find in the downtown area. What you see parked there are kids’ bicycles mostly. You’ll find another wheel-bender outside the Springfield Brewing Company brew pub on Market Ave. The one at the brew pub can support a bicycle frame if you park on either end.

While I’ve noted a few complaints in this survey, overall I’m pleased with the general movement to provide bicycle parking downtown. City rules dictate that new construction must provide for bicycle parking. I’m especially pleased to see that the city and developers have chosen to provide racks that support the bicycle frame. What a bummer to ride downtown for a nice dinner and a movie only to discover upon evening’s end that some careless jerk toasted your front wheel.

UPDATE: For more on bicycle parking, you might take a look “Bicycle Parking and Storage,” a lesson in the Federal Highway Administration University Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation. The authors of this document do not favor wave racks because they favor racks that provide support for two points on a bicycle frame, e.g. U-racks. I happen to disagree. But my disagreement may be a function of my being used to parking at wave racks. I also think waves provide a more efficient use of space in some circumstances. The aptly named “toast” style (i.e. “Yikes! My wheel’s been toasted!”) and comb style are potential wheel-benders. I’m now looking into the merits of other styles. And I’m hoping our European friends (re: the comments) will share their parking methods with us.

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