Good retail bike parking ain't rocket science

Last week we asked what it might say if McDonald's were to become more bike friendly.  All we were really asking for is better bike parking.  Is that too much to ask? Below is a photo of the bike parking at the Rite-Aid Pharmacy in North Brunswick, NJ which is only 1/4 mile from the McDonald's featured in last week's article.

Two inverted "U" racks, well spaced, right up front!  How hard was that?!?!

In a rare twist, this bike parking was only provided by request of myself and the zoning board during site review. North Brunswick does not have an ordinance requiring bicycle parking and got the parking due to several variances the project required. To my surprise they got the bike parking done perfectly!  Bravo!

Unfortunately good retail bike parking is such a rarity in New Jersey.  My god people this ain't freaking rocket science!  Follow the damned cookbook!  All it takes are two inverted "U" racks, properly positioned and well spaced right up by the front door.  On the rare occasions it is even provided, 9 times out of 10 it is done so wrong, as demonstrated in the selection of photos below, that it is barely even usable.  UGHH!!

Don't forget, all the bike lanes in the world won't do you much good if you don't have a minimally acceptable place to park your bike once you get to where you're going.

Great positioning but that sub-standard "wheelbender" rack
is as cheap as they come and not even secured to the ground.

A "wave" rack squeezed up against a wall.  It's amazing
that these cyclists were able to park their bikes at all.

An inverted "U" rack placed 4 inches from a wall.  Need we say more?

What would it say to America if McDonalds became "Bike Friendly"?

If you're "bike aware" (and likely you are because you're reading this blog) and have ever visited a fast food restaurant you've undoubtedly seen bikes haphazardly parked to anything secure all around the restaurant site.  A vast majority of these bikes are undoubtedly owned by members of restaurant staff who depend on their bikes to get to their jobs in the restaurant.

A bike parked on a street sign outside the McDonalds on Milltown Road in North Brunswick, NJ.

Knowing that a number of their employees rely on a bike to get to work everyday, one would think that these fast food restaurants would provided some official organized bicycle parking that preferably meets the basic APBP bike parking standards.  Unfortunately this is almost always not the case and the sight of bikes parked to whatever the owner can find is common sight not only in New Jersey but at most fast food and chain sit-down restaurants all across the country.

The above two photos and the one below were all taken at the same time at the
North Brunwick McDonalds. There are three bikes in this photo plus the one bike in the first
photo. Including the author's bicycle (I ate there too), there were five bikes parked at this
McDonalds location at one time, a very high actual demand.  The underutilized lawn
shown here would have made an ideal location for APBP compliant bicycle parking.

And given no official bike parking and left with few other options, owners will often lock their bikes to trees.  Chaining a bike to a tree will damage the bark and eventually kill the tree.  Trees are expensive to replace if they are replaced at all, so the landscaping at the restaurant sites is often left permanently damaged and never given a chance to mature.

This tree shows clear signs of structural damage which was likely caused by bike parking.

So this is why we ask, "What would it say to America if McDonalds became 'Bike Friendly'?"  We are not picking on McDonalds.  Far from it!  We focus on McDonalds because they are clearly the industry leader and we respect them for that.  If McDonalds makes the move to standardize bike parking for their employees and guests, WalkBikeJersey believes that it would send a message across the entire restaurant industry.  Their engineering consultants that do their local site plans would also be educated about proper bike parking design and hopefully the message would get out to the towns that do the site plan review and then possibly even to McDonalds' competition.  There is clearly the potential for a positive feedback loop here.
 

Employee bicycles locked to the signpost marking the handicapped parking space
at the McDonalds on Route 22 in Somerville NJ.  The signpost is much closer to the
door than the provided bike rack that fails APBP Guidelines.  As such the bicyclists
park on the signpost which could then block wheelchair users from accessing the door.

Also, McDonalds is known for remodeling their restaurants at regular intervals.  Both McDonalds featured in this story were entirely remodeled inside and out within the past 2 years and the North Brunswick location has been remodeled 3 times in the past 15 years.  Their frequent remodeling schedule would allow them quickly implement universal APBP compliant bike parking at large portion of their restaurants.

This APBP non-compliant "wave rack" located at the Somerville NJ McDonalds
was far from the door and not immediately visible.  It was also located too close to
the bushes seen here to be used properly or easily.

Some locations like the Somerville McDonalds have tried to do bike parking but didn't get the details quite right.  This is a good sign but just the beginning.  We hope McDonalds takes the lead here because not only would good bike parking be good for their employees but it would prevent damage to their landscape trees, limit liability when bikes are haphazardly park to signs and it would be good costumer service as well.  And if McDonalds is smart, and we know they are, they could turn this into a great public relations opportunity.

Now if we could only get them to turn the "drive-up window" into a "walk-up window."  We can dream, no?

Bike and Walk Morristown wins bike corral in national contest!

This is likely old news to many of you but I've been busy.  If you haven't already heard, Bike and Walk Morristown has won the Saris bike corral after a long fought national contest hosted by Saris.  Thanks goes out to all of you that voted via Facebook to help Bike and Walk Morristown win.

Final Score:
645 Morristown, NJ 
595 Concord, Ma 

Yay!!  Their huddled bikes will have a secure place to rest.

112 Wheat Ridge, Co

Besides it just being plan cool that Bike and Walk NM Morristown won this contest, that they garnered so much support from all around New Jersey proves that there is a very passionate, strong, active demand in New Jersey for bicycle transportation amenities.  Bicycle parking is an important part of a bicycle transportation system but it is only one part.  Bicycle lanes and modern, well marked bicycle routes need to be a part of the solution as well and when it comes to on-street bicycle amenities.  Unfortunately, when looking at most towns across the county, in this regard New Jersey communities and towns lag far behind.

Congrats again to Kendra and the Bike and Walk Morristown gang!

Do the DVRPC "Bike to Transit Stations" survey

The very nice yet exceptional sheltered bicycle
parking at the Hoboken NJ TRANSIT Station.

If you live in, or travel with your bike in the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) service area, please take a moment to fill out the Bike to Transit Stations survey.  In New Jersey DVRPC services Mercer, Burlington, Gloucester, and Camden counties and this survey is investigating bicycle parking conditions at all rail transit stations in these counties.  These include all RiverLINE and PATCO stations, SEPTA's West Trenton Station, and NJ TRANSIT's Princeton, Princeton Junction, Hamilton, Trenton, Cherry Hill, Lindenwald and Atco Stations.  This is a map based survey.  Simply scroll over to the station or stations that you use, click on the button and give your feedback about the bicycle amenities (or lack there of) at that particular station.

The survey is open until December 1st and when I looked at it today many New Jersey stations had not been surveyed even once.  So if you get board watching football between courses at Thanksgiving dinner, do the survey instead and fill in those blanks!

More about this survey can be found in this write-up by Silva and our friends at the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance.

Hoboken Installs First Bike Repair Station, Doubles Bike Racks Near PATH

The following is reproduced from the official Hoboken City news blog and is published here as a public service.  WalkBikeJersey will do an independent review of these new amenities in Hoboken the next time one our "staff" are in the city.  All photos are attributed to the City of Hoboken.

Hoboken, NJ - Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
First buffered bike lane installed; Bike sharing program planned
 


The City of Hoboken has installed its first self-service bike repair station, becoming one of the first municipalities on the east coast with a public bike repair facility. The City has also doubled the number of bike racks near the PATH. The more than 30 new bike racks are available for sponsorship by businesses or residents and will be acknowledged with an engraved plaque adjacent to the bike rack.

“Our streets are public spaces that belong to everyone, not just cars,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “Every Hoboken resident is a pedestrian, and more than ever, they are also riding bikes to get around. This expansion of our bicycle infrastructure demonstrates our strong commitment to making Hoboken more bike-friendly.”

The bike repair service station behind the Bus Terminal adjacent to the PATH has a stand to hold a bike, a hand-operated air pump, and basic tools including wrenches, screw drivers, and tire lever for minor repairs. The bike racks and bike repair station are part of pedestrian and cycling improvements to Hudson Place that began with construction of expanded and rebuilt sidewalks and bump-outs. Street furniture and planters are also planned for Hudson Place.



Through the City’s bike rack sponsorship program, businesses and residents can sponsor the bike racks near the PATH or can sponsor the installation of a new bike rack outside their storefront or other location. New bike repair stations can also be sponsored. The first new bike rack near the PATH has already been sponsored, and the City is seeking sponsors for the remaining racks. Interested residents or businesses should submit the bicycle rack donation form found at: http://hobokennj.org/docs/transportation/bicycle-rack-donation-form.pdf.

Earlier in the week, the City striped its first “buffered” bike lane along a segment of Clinton Street that was recently repaved between 15th and 16th Streets. The bike lane, which will be extended along all of Clinton Street, represents the first segment of 10 miles of new planned bike lanes along wider streets throughout Hoboken.



“Bike lanes aren’t just for bikes,” added Transportation and Parking Director Ian Sacs. “They are a critical tool in reducing vehicle speeds and improving pedestrian safety. Our bike lanes have been demonstrated to reduce speeds by an average of 4 miles per hour, greatly lowering the chance of fatality in the case of a collision with a pedestrian.”

The City is also working in conjunction with the Hudson Transportation Management Association towards implementing a city-wide bike-sharing system. More information on bicycling-related initiatives, rules, and regulations can be found at http://www.hobokennj.org/bikes.