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Citizen complaint of the day: Hey, Malden, come get your stupid bikes
By adamg on Fri, 06/15/2018 - 11:27pm
A fed-up Charlestown resident files a 311 complaint:
Malden's bikes are being left all over our sidewalks for people to fall over. They have been here for days
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
Can we just throw these in a
Can we just throw these in a dumpster since they're left out like trash?
If we can throw space savers
If we can throw space savers away we can throw these bikes away. If you leave junk on a public way trash it!
Or donate it to a local youth
Or donate it to a local youth center so kids good use it. Clearly no one in Malden seems to care about this bike anyways.
How about we throw...
... some cars left on the side of the street into the trash and make room for wider sidewalks, bus lanes and less obstructive bike parking?
If a car is parked on the
If a car is parked on the sidewalk, have it towed immediately at the owner's expense.
Go to Medford
It's the culture there to park half of your car on the sidewalk while the other half remains on the side of the street. That's just an example. Have fun getting that to change. That's far more invasive than a bike or two.
Honestly, I feel like most people's disdain for these bikes is just being insufferable. They're not nearly as much of an issue as everyone makes them out to be.
That sucks people in Medford
That sucks people in Medford have no respect for pedestrians using sidewalks. I'd be furious if I saw a car parked on the sidewalk in Boston and would absolutely call to have it towed. I'm not saying it doesn't happen in Boston, I just haven't seen it in my 15+ years of living here.
Happens consistently in parts
Happens consistently in parts of Hyde Park and for whatever reason is encouraged by the police to keep the streets wide open. Sucks to constantly walk in the road with the kids.
When I see cars parked on the sidewalk...
... Boston I report them on the 311 app and they get ticketed.
The Pictured Bike Doesn't Appear To Be In Anyone's Way
( some people are offended by the presence of any bikes, anywhere )
Mixed feelings
I love bikes, ride daily. For the most part, Hubway/BB is a nice public benefit.
But now you have these private companies who have figured out how to make money off a public good, mainly the open space on sidewalks and parks. I've seen some of these bikes leaning against trees on the esplanade for days, weeks at a time. They are ugly. Perhaps they aren't blocking anything, but it's still taking up public space which previously was devoid of this private clutter.
And yes, I know cars have the same problem but at least cars can't leave their designated storage areas. (Well, in theory.)
Another analogy: If private companies started leaving vending machines haphazardly in parks and the sidewalks (without approval) would you be OK with it if they weren't actively blocking anything?
If private companies started
Remember USAToday and their vending machines? They put them all over the place, whether anyone liked them or not.
Yes, I recall
These boxes were (and still are) controversial. Don't most cities require a permit and regulate them in some way?
They are a blight when they get abandoned, much like the bikes.
They try
Wikipedia says:
There have been several municipal attempts to regulate the things since then. I would think the papers are going to argue that licensing is not allowed, as it violates the same principle as that Lakewood ordinance.
First Amendment issue - freedom of speech
Already decided by the Supreme Court in City of Lakewood v. Plain Dealer Publishing Company.
https://h2o.law.harvard.edu/cases/1031
So, does Medford have
So, does Medford have curbside recycling and trash pickup?
So many drivers these day park halfway on the sidewalks for hours even when there is their own private driveway, because shuffling cars or even the possibility of needing to shuffle cars is too burdensome. Why is this not a ticket able offense. Give them an hour, come back, and ticket the offending vehicle, handicap placards excepted.
Looks like maybe a driver tried the Lime Bike and is just reverting to car driver parking.
Inconsiderate so-called normal people are legion.
I wish it weren't the case.
Not A Real Bicycle
Bicycles should be light, sleek, and pretty. Bicycles should also be loved and cared for, thus never left outside all the time. It's especially important for a bicycle to pass the cat scale test. If your bike weighs more than your [non-obese] cat, it has too many parts or the core frame is just BAD. And if a bike has not been custom fitted to you, it's harmful for your body. Knees and ankles are very vulnerable to compression and extension injuries, and handlebars wider than ones shoulders makes for a dangerous inability to steer properly. Nothing about "bicycle" shares is good.
YMMV
You have your preferences for bicycles based on your needs. Other people have different preferences.
In countries - e.g. Holland, Denmark - where a vastly greater proportion of people ride bicycles, they typically don't resemble your preferred specifications in the least. A European city bike weighs as much as several cats, and they are designed to be unharmed by being left outside in all weather. How big is your cat? The Dutch are the bicyclingest people in Europe, an average of 1.5 miles a day per person. They are also the least obese people in Europe, and they manage this on bikes that frequently top 60 pounds.
That said, these bikes look crappy, and those handlebars are ridiculous.
I hope using cats as a unit
I hope using cats as a unit of measurement takes off. "Chad has lost 1.5 cats since January 1!"
Admittedly I could stand to
Admittedly I could stand to lose a tabby or two. Perhaps I’ll go bike riding.
It works best
if you carry a couple of cats for balance.
YCMV
Cat weights vary almost as much as bike weights. The lightest production bikes weigh over 13 pounds with components. The heaviest (non-novelty) bicycles weigh in over 60. A healthy cat, depending on breed and sex, may weigh from around 6 to 20 pounds.
Neither is a very good unit for measuring weight of other things. Unlike stones, obvo.
Ooooh, now I feel better.
At first i thought I had only lost one cat based on my oversized beasts. Thanks to you, I can claim losing two cats! The MSPCA is going to stop giving me cats in a few weeks because I keep losing them, and now twice as often as yesterday!
(No cats were harmed in the drafting of this post Elmer!)
LOL
My neighbors have a 25 lb cat. (he was 33 lbs when they adopted him).
When my bike was delivered a day early some years ago, they decided that they should take it inside my house (we all have each other's keys). My neighbor got her wife to come over and help lift it, expecting it to be heavy.
But it was a small frame aluminum road bike with carbon fiber fork - 18 lbs!
In their case, less than one cat!
(my city bike with steel frame, fenders, heavy duty rack, etc. weighs twice as much as my Maine Coon, unloaded!)
Danish cats are pretty svelt
Danish cats are pretty svelt too!
I commute via dutch city bike
I commute via dutch city bike in Boston. It weighs as much as a good sized dog. God forbid there were ever a car vs bike - that car is getting messed up.
No true bicycle
Wow
bruh, from one cyclist to another
.. chill out. you're making us all look bad.
you never loaned a bike to a friend? or do you instead give them a lecture on how that's an inauthentic affront to the entity and meaning that is "Bicycle"?
I agree with you, a bike should be as properly fitted as possible. But beyond that, how it looks and how much it weighs isn't really relevant.
Properly fitted
The easiest way to fit a bike (once you have selected one that is a good size) is to go for a tool ride.
Take some tools, hit the road, and stop and futz with things until you get it all dialed in. raise the seat, lower the seat, adjust the handlebars, etc.
Note that aging will change what is "properly fitted" over time and you might have to change things like seats and stems out to fit your new reality.
With Seatless Bikes, You Never Have To Worry About Such Things
You must be effing kidding
You must be effing kidding with the ridiculous "if it's not custom fitted, it's harmful"? Students all over the world on shitty beater bikes must be in so much pain all the time... Can't tell if you're a bearded retro-grouch or a fixie-riding hipster... but let people ride whatever they want to ride.
Prime Space
You need to remember in Charlestown those sidewalks are People’s front yards. I’d be upset too if there was a bike in front of my house.
not anyone's front yard
This is in the Navy Yard.
Might be in your way if you
Might be in your way if you're disabled and in a motorized wheelchair.
Note the gravel
The bike is parked on an unfriendly gravel patch.
Simple fix
Nothing an angle grinder and a can of spray paint couldn't fix.
Joke?
You have to be kidding me. The weather is too nice to complain about any little thing you can think of. Would you rather someone drive their evil gasoline powerded vehicle? Stop being a challenge and get a life.
Charlestown
Looks like Charlestown has reached peak gentrification if the only thing people can find to complain about are well maintained bicycles parked just off the sidewalk.. In New Charlestown, "Omerta" has been replaced with the 311 app.
You know you are an entitled
You know you are an entitled elitist when you find time to complain about one of these bikes being tucked away in the corner. This bike is not in anyone’s way. Incredible.
Okay, I'm not sure if people
Okay, I'm not sure if people realize, but Lime Bike is a smart bike company (like Ant and OfO). A person can unlock the bike using their smart phone, pay $1 for every half hour (as well as get free rides). The premise is you can park and lock in anywhere, unlike Hub bike where you have to find a station.
Lime BIke are not Malden bikes nor do they belong to private owners. The company has set up in different cities. Malden happens to be one of them. Personally, I loved it when I was living there. It's cheap, convienent, and honestly if you're tripping over that large of an object then the problem isn't the bike.
I love seeing all the
I love seeing all the different types of folks riding them.. a lot of Younger kids . I have a short commute from my work in Malden the train station and is such a nice alternative to the bus or a lift/Uber . It’s sad to see some people just complain especially about things they probably don’t understand . I bet most people complaining about them don’t have to ride our terrible public transportation.
Abandoning non-Boston rental
Abandoning non-Boston rental bikes in Charlestown is a pretty crappy thing for cyclists to do... especially if they're pro bike sharing.
They aren't abandoned
They are waiting to be hired - possibly by the same person who rode them there.
Are you going to pitch fits about "non Boston rental cars" now?
Coming soon, vastly more drop offs
Malden is kind of a hike to downtown, just wait the first sunny day when there's an event and instead of the T the masses roll in and drop off bikes everywhere.
Sidewalks are for pedestrians
Sidewalks are for pedestrians. Thid should be parked in the bike lane.
Thid [sic] should be parked
Fair enough, but then cars would have no place to idle during a dunkie run or an uber pickup.
Quincy ones are yellow
Was wondering what was up.
Any bicycle that I'm not
Any bicycle that I'm not allowed to ride into certain municipalities is a bicycle I have no use for.
Lime Bike Chinese Owned
These are owned by a Chinese Billionaire "Neutron Holdings" who gives nothing back to the community and preys on suckers..
Neutron?
They also have electric bikes and scooters in other cities, but they can't hold a charge?