An irate citizen complains about this new bike rack on Worcester Square in the South End:
In a city where parking spaces are so limited that they sell for $560,000 how can you justify turning a resident parking spot into a bike rack?
UPDATE: City marks the case closed, notes: "Bike rack installed by request of residents and worcester square neighborhood association."
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I'm not sure,but...
By GoBruins
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 9:52am
Something tells me we'll be hearing from Markkk and Swirly on this.
(No subject)
By aldos
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 9:56am
[img]http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd262/LUNI_TUNZ...
My thoughts exactly!
By Boston_res
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:02am
:D
Haha... as soon as I saw the
By tcf098
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 1:23pm
Haha... as soon as I saw the words "bike" and "parking" in the same headline, I knew I had a lot of catching-up to do.
It never ceases to amaze me how bike issues rile up this audience.
Seriously! Entitled cyclists
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 1:53pm
Seriously! Entitled cyclists feeling victimized is Uhub's bread and butter.
'less than pleasing aesthetics of newly installed bike rack in swanky South End neighborhood draws bitter outrage from bike community' Oh the horrors!! Meanwhile, the grownups of the city carry on with their Monday and deal with real issues.
Yes because only cyclists get riled up
By BostonUrbEx
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 2:25pm
Motorists [b]never[/b] get riled up over [b]anything[/b], and deserve no blame in any of this.
Nearly 100 comments (at this
By tcf098
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:05pm
Nearly 100 comments (at this point), mostly all pro-cyclists. I'm not saying anything derogatory about cyclists, and as a matter of fact, I am a fan of the 2-wheeled pedestrian.
All I'm saying is that this issue is usually a point of contention. But thank you for reinforcing my point.
Yes
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:27pm
Well Done!
Markk
By anon²
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 9:22am
you forgot to log in, silly!
Nope, see #127
By Markk02474
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 10:15am
That was mine. Pull up to the bumper, baby.
And, let the South End
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 9:53am
And, let the South End bashing begin... (yawn).
It's not like people are
By J. L. Bell
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 9:53am
It's not like people are using that bike rack!
Oh, wait…
That is
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:02am
Two parking spaces being used by two bikes. Two passenger cars on average can carry 10 individuals.
In real life
By Michael
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:31am
Two passenger cars on average carry 2.14 individuals
Well, now wait a minute...
By Lecil
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:04am
I was in a Civic once with 7 of my closest friends..!
Once!
By Boston_res
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:16pm
.
Twice, actually
By Lecil
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:47pm
While we were toodling down the road we actually saw another car prang a bicyclist, and all piled out to check on the rider, then packed back into the car after determining that he was okay. I should probably have "clown car" on my resume...
I once was part of a group of
By Katia
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 1:05pm
I once was part of a group of 9 or 10 riding in a Focus hatchback. I was one of the people in the trunk for this endeavor. So, I mean, no judgies.
That's nothing.
By Neal
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:22pm
I once filled a Dodge Caravan with 17 Germans and drove from Burlington to Alewife Station.
That is ONE Parking space buddy
By Craiggles
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 2:09pm
.
Sure, cars CAN carry 5 individuals...
By mtrem225
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:18pm
...but that parking space can accommodate at least 5 bikes (not sure the actual capacity). Also, that's one parking space, not 2 unless they're SmartCar spaces, which can hold 2 people). Also, on-street spaces are often not utilized efficiently if they're not metered/marked off, since cars like to leave a lot of room between themselves and the car in front of them/behind them; this takes up exactly 1 parking space where a car probably takes up 1.1 to 1.3 on-street parking spaces.
/rant
I agree here
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 9:54am
Bike racks can easily be placed on sidewalks, however a car can not. Also that has to be one of the most poorly designed bike racks ever!
Have you seen the sidewalks in this area?
By Neal
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:02am
They're not wide enough to accommodate a bike rack.
Not that piece of shit
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:03am
but a well designed bike rack, YES!
Until people attack bikes to
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:55am
Until people attack bikes to it, that is.
Maybe in King's Landing, or whatever backwards nation you're fro
By GTCvDeimos
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:58am
But in North America, The average bike is six inches wide :p
But Kings Landing is in North
By JF
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:29pm
But Kings Landing is in North America: http://kingslanding.nb.ca/
not to mention
By bosguy22
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:03am
that the rack looks permanent. So in the winter it will just be an empty waste of space?
Nonsense
By Kaz
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:41am
In the winter, that will be where they dump all the snow so the street is clear.
Actually, they have one of
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:57pm
Actually, they have one of these at Harvard and Brighton Ave in Allston, and they take it out during the winter months and re-install in come summer.
AND WHO PAYS FOR THAT????
By Scratchie
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:25pm
AND WHO PAYS FOR THAT???? PULLING IT OUT??? PUTTING IT BACK IN??? IT'S A WASTE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS!!1!!1!!one
you too
By johnmcboston
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 9:20pm
Letting you park for free on the street is also a waste of money
In winter, it magically gets reclassified as a space saver
By Arborway
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:03pm
And is socially acceptable until sometime after the city hits 90 degrees for the first time that year. ;)
Doesn't look permanent to me
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 2:43pm
I hope some Brazilian with a pickup truck comes by, scoops it up and brings it to a junkyard for scrap. He'd probably get ten bucks for it, maybe more if there is a couple of bikes still attached.
why?
By greenlinetobrooklyn
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:31pm
why?
You clearly don't bike
By craigglesnotloggedin
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:07am
Locking to racks on sidewalks results in:
Also, you can fit one car in one space that probably only transported one person. This bike rack can fit at least ten bicycles, at the very least. That's a 1000% increase in parking efficiency.
but wait
By SatansFist
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00pm
how does this prevent dog pee? or oblivious drivers? or trash being left in your basket?
(i am not actually against this rack, i just find this argument curious)
Simple.
By Craiggles
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:43pm
It doesn't prevent dogs, but I find that people leave trash in things they walk by, and don't generally go out of their way even a few steps to trash something, unless they're REALLY intent on it.
Drivers tend to run into things on the sidewalk when they overshoot parallel parking jobs - yes, they can still back into another parking space, but this rack has those yellow barriers that help with parallel parking.
Where do you park your bike? In Porter Station?
By GTCvDeimos
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:02pm
I parked my bike for years around cambridge/boston, and never had any of that happen, with the possible sole exception of dog pee (whatchu gonna do?). Jeez man, pick your parking spots better. If you block paths, or park like an a-hole, of course your bike will get trashed.
Porter station, among other places.
By Craiggles
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:48pm
Other places including the North End where I work, Downtown Boston (generally the least troublesome place to park), the South End, Charlestown and Allston.
Allston is obviously the worst, but the North end isn't pleasant either.
Bike racks...
By mtrem225
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:20pm
can be placed on the sidewalk, but then you'd be complaining about how narrow the sidewalk is.
Have you seen Harvard Square
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 9:59am
Have you seen Harvard Square lately? This is totally becoming a Thing now.
Davis Square and other Somerville locations
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:59pm
Those racks, however, accomodate as many as sixteen bikes in a single car space, plus the odd scooter in the little space at the end.
Maybe because...
By Neal
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:01am
...it is public property and the City is under no obligation to provide free parking for private automobiles. There is no parking problem in Boston, there are simply too many cars in some areas (many that sit for days to weeks in the same spot on the street). Seriously though, I live a few blocks away from this and there really isn't much of a shortage of residential parking in that neighborhood. When I have use of a car, I never have a problem finding a place to park it.
and....
By bosguy22
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:04am
was there a shortage of bike parking?
No
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:07am
Just common scenes and rational among bikers....
property owners usually
By sup3rmark
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:34am
property owners usually object to people locking bikes to their fences, so "bike parking" means "find a street sign or parking meter somewhere in the vicinity," which is less than ideal.
And
By whyaduck
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 11:11am
when did it become ok, in some circles, to attach bikes to private property?
honestly
By SatansFist
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 1:02pm
if someone were to chain a bike to my fence, in a manner where it was not flopped on the sidewalk, and they actually used it regularly, i would not have an issue with it.
Maybe their residence is too small to store it and they do not have a fence on their building.
why can't a neighbor help a neighbor??
No reason, why a neighbor
By Scratchie
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 2:42pm
No reason, why a neighbor can't choose to help a neighbor. But not everyone wants to, and if you start letting considerate people chain their bikes to your fence, it probably won't be long until you get the bike sprawled all over the sidewalk for days at a time.
not sure about this specific
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:53am
not sure about this specific area, but often there is a shortage in many neighborhoods - try finding a space on a sign (where it's legal to chain a bike) or rack on newbury street - it's almost as difficult as finding a street parking space.
central square in cambridge is also difficult.
Back Bay is a particular
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 4:56pm
Back Bay is a particular problem for bike parking, because many streets don't have single-space parking meters, and most signs are on street lamps instead of narrow signposts.
Bike parking in Central Square is a breeze.
In many places, yes, there is
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 2:16pm
In many places, yes, there is a shortage of bike parking. I don't know this street in particular, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were a shortage. I've had times where I've had to walk my bike a few blocks before I could find a bike rack or sign post to lock my bike to.
Perhaps not there that day
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 2:58pm
but the other day on Center Street in JP there was a shortage of safe, legal, non-destructive places to lock a bike (I try to avoid trees). But think about what that meant? Each bike represents a car that was not on the street and not using a parking space. Therefore the bikes represented a decrease in the competition for parking spaces. That helped anyone who needed to park their car in the area.
So for the South End bike rack if one bike is locked on the bike rack that represents one car not needing to park in the South End. For each bike locked there that most likely represents a car not competing for parking space.
"There is no parking problem in Boston"
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:05am
Aaaaaa HAHAHA, OK KILLA! And all bikers obey traffic laws!
HAHAHA!!!
By GTCvDeimos
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:04pm
RIGHT!? THERE.ARE.FOUR.LIGHTS!!!!
"There is no parking problem
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:15am
"There is no parking problem in Boston, there are simply too many cars in some areas"
That's the definition of a parking problem, hoss.
Only if you assume that the
By Scratchie
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:30am
Only if you assume that the primary purpose of a city is to provide public parking for privately-owned vehicles.
Whenever there's a suggestion that some social service might be expanded (or just continued), there's an inevitable chorus of "Why don't those lazy pieces of shit get off their asses and get a job so I don't have to subsidize their lifestyle"?
So... why don't those lazy car owners get off their asses and buy a private parking space, so I don't have to subsidize their lifestyle?
No? The primary purpose of a
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:31am
No? The primary purpose of a city is to provide services for residents. Parking happens to be one of those services, being as there's not enough space for residents to construct private garages. So if there's not enough space for residents to park their cars, that's what we call a "parking problem", in layman's terms.
Reading comprehension PHAIL
By Jeff F
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:58am
I see by the time stamp on your comment, Mr. Trolly Anonster, that you made it after adam had posted this update. So apparently you either:
1) believe car-owning locals are more important than bike owning locals, or
2) are unable to reason at a fifth grade level, or
3) have just had internet installed under your bridge.
Other way around
By adamg
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:14pm
My original post didn't mention the city closing the case because when I posted, I don't think it had. I added that note after I saw anon's comment. Sorry for any confusion; I probably should've time stamped my update (like I tend to do on crime posts).
Grouchy much? Bike parking is
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:25pm
Grouchy much? Bike parking is important, but to say that there isn't a car parking shortage in this city is ridiculous.
How is there a parking
By Scratchie
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 11:19am
How is there a parking shortage in Boston? I can't remember a single time in the last 35 years when I drove into Boston and couldn't find a parking place. There's no shortage of parking spaces, there's just a surplus of cheap bastards who don't want to pay and think the city owes them a free (or cheap, metered) parking space.
Or
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:39pm
Or, you're just an a**hole. Can you at least see why he'd want a space, rather than just attacking him? It is you, perhaps, who cannot reason above a 5th grade level.
Wanting is fine
By anon
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 10:33am
Demanding public property and whining about how you are special for owning a car and get special rights to that property are not.
So what? Why should the city
By Scratchie
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:01pm
So what? Why should the city provide parking spaces but not oil changes or free tire rotation?
Why is it a "parking problem" and not a "too many cars" problem?
What determines whether any given "service" should be provided by the city instead of private individuals?
If you see an empty lot filled with garbage, do you assume that the city is not providing enough free dumpsters or that some cheap shithead doesn't want to pay to have his refuse removed?
If you see someone panhandling in the streets, do you assume that the city isn't giving away enough free money, or that the individual is a freeloading mooch?
If unemployment goes up, do you assume that the city isn't giving enough people jobs, or that the unemployed are lazy?
What is so special about parking spaces that it is the city's obligation to provide them?
Could you have packed any
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:23pm
Could you have packed any more false equivalencies into your post? When streets cease to be municipal property, you'll have a point.
Municipal property
By Matthew
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 1:56pm
What makes you think that "free parking" is the proper use of municipal property?
The city has the power to ban all parking on city streets if it so chooses to do so. That's the basis for regulation of the public rights-of-way, which are primarily intended for the movement of people and goods.
The city may choose to exercise that power instead to allow different uses of excess space in the right-of-way. That includes parking of cars. But it also includes just about anything else that may occupy space, including bicycle racks.
In terms of providing public services for the residents, parking ranks rather low. I would place fire, police, and medical emergency services much higher. Then there is providing the public realm: making it possible to walk and gather in the city, the fundamental reason for its existence. Then there's schools and neighborhood services. In terms of transportation, the city is much better served by promoting walking and public transit.
The subsidization of parking spaces for people who are rich enough to own a car and live in the South End is not a priority.
When streets cease to be
By Scratchie
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 3:33pm
Who cares if it's municipal property? Why is the right to park a car on municipal property sacred?
Why can't I dump my trash on municipal property?
Why can't I pull my sofa out onto municipal property to cool down in the summer?
Why can't I store my furniture and appliances on municipal property? Why only my car?
What if I have a dog
By anon
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 11:04pm
And I don't have a yard. Why can't I just fence off a piece of the local park for the private use of my dog and myself? Or, better yet, I need a place for my goat and I don't own a yard, SO I PUT MY GOAT IN THE PARK?
See where this goes - cars are NOT sacred.
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