You can tell at a quick glance how much a business values its customers that arrive by bike. When there’s a sturdy bike rack next to the main door it says, “Welcome, we love you!” When the bike rack is far from the door, falling apart or hidden away it says, “You’re not important customers.” And when the bike rack tucked in an back alley or next to smelly garbage dumpsters the message is clear, “Our valued customers don’t ride bikes.”
To that I say, “Your attitude stinks, just like your garbage.” Time for me to find a new noodle shop.
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- From a distance, the bike rack looks great: a sturdy standard rack in an area that’s visible from the parking lot.
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- One clue that no one cares is the abandoned carts. Sometimes mop heads are draped on the racks too.
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- The dumpsters look better than they smelled. The final straw: little gnats were all over my bike when I returned.
Location: Luu Noodle at San Antonio Shopping Center, Mountain View, California, USA
disabledcyclist
March 12, 2014 at 12:40 pm
It’s not just bike racks and done to cyclists as customers that do this (old on the job spinal injuries,long story,so I fit the cyclist when I can,and this next thing when unable to…),but for those of us who can’t always cycle where we need to go (or even those non-cyclists among us) who have any disabilities,I always get a kick out of where some businesses (some even prominent national/well known places) will hide the handicap spots FAR from the door,around back,like “oh,wow,you’re crippled,we don’t want the general public seeing you,so…”….don’t know whether to sigh or laugh out loud😛
ladyfleur
March 12, 2014 at 12:48 pm
It’s amazing that there still are places like that decades after ADA. The other big problem I’ve seen is that there aren’t enough spaces for all the people with disability placards in popular areas. I remember a friend in a wheelchair circling for blocks.
I have another friend with rheumatoid arthritis that limits her mobility. She walks so at a glance seems typically able, but she can’t climb stairs or sit in low chairs. It’s a constant battle for her to be able to sit in a regular chair the handicapped area at our local theater. The ushers don’t see a wheelchair so they don’t get why she can’t sit in the regular theater seats. Sigh.
disabledcyclist
March 12, 2014 at 5:37 pm
Oh,I completely understand your friend’s issues. I “look” like there’s nothing wrong (all spinal injuries),and like I said,I have lots of great days (where I do not park in handicap spots,mind you ),but when I have a “flare-up”…I can often barely walk 50′. Shameful,how people treat other people😦
archergal
March 12, 2014 at 1:36 pm
For a while a mall near me had ONE bike rack right by the dumpster in the back of the center. The rack is right next to parking (i.e., a car can park in the space right by the bike rack), effectively rendering the back of the rack inaccessible. The rack is often full, because workers (mostly young Hispanic males) ride bikes to work there. Some folks end up chaining bikes to the fence in front of the cars. So you chain a bike there and hope like hell someone doesn’t drive their vehicle into your bike while parking. O.o
There’s now one other rack near B&N there, but it’s rarely used.
The mall is one of those Forum-style centers, with two rows of shops with driveways/parking in between the rows. If you try to ride a bike in the centerway, a security guard will capture you and warn you that bikes are not permitted there. You have to stay on the outside perimeter. I don’t go there much, because they really make me feel unwelcome. (Note: the security guards were perfectly nice and patiently listened to me rant about cars vs. bikes. But they still told me I couldn’t ride my bike there.)
ladyfleur
March 12, 2014 at 1:43 pm
Sounds dreadful. What I’m shaking my head over is that there’s a driveway and parking that’s open to cars but not to bikes. That’s crazy. I would definitely avoid shopping there.
archergal
March 12, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Yeah, it’s crazy. And annoying.😦
labicichica
March 12, 2014 at 2:44 pm
I could share lots of similar stories. Bad/lack of/poorly located racks are insulting and it says volumes about what our society thinks of cycling.
archergal
March 14, 2014 at 2:51 pm
Here’s a link to a pic of the bike rack I mentioned:
ladyfleur
March 14, 2014 at 2:54 pm
That’s a trifecta of bad bike rack: garbage + wheel bender + car blockage. I’m surprised so many people are actually using it.
archergal
March 14, 2014 at 3:15 pm
I know what you mean.😦 It was the ONLY rack there for a while. They hate bicycles there.
mtnbkr1
March 15, 2014 at 8:33 am
As a recent San Jose cyclist now living in Portland, one of the things that has surprised (and amused me) is the number of whimsical ‘Art Racks’ that the city of Portland has here. Visiting a optician? Chances are the bike rack is shaped like a pair of glasses. Visiting a dentist? Odds are you’ll find a tooth shaped rack. As art, these racks are situated prominently in highly visible areas and serve to attract customers. (As a family we have taken to ‘collecting’ these racks by pointing them out as we move about town both on two wheels and four.)
The question is, “Why do these racks exist here in such great numbers and not in other places, like the Bay Area?” It seems like the local government actually encourages business to add these ‘Art Racks’ by policy. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/184578
Do a search on Art Racks and you’ll get a good idea of alternate bike rack designs. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/04/hollywood_neighborhood_whimsic_1.html
I’d love to see one of the cycling groups in the South Bay copy this program and bring art to cycling culture in San Jose beyond, much like what has been done with the Art Boxes we see in San Jose.
ladyfleur
March 15, 2014 at 8:41 am
We saw a lot of art racks in Long Beach. I bet some of the same designs are used in Portland. As long as they work, I’m all for them. But if budgets are limited, I’d rather have more plain U-racks than a few fancy ones. https://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/the-most-bicycle-friendly-city-in-america/