New Bike Racks Downtown

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by Prince Of Petworth November 1, 2010 at 10:01 pm 19 Comments

I’m digging these new bike racks at 19th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW. Very clever.

David Magee

They should do that with all the parking meters…
Nick

Jesus, why is it so hard just to install simple u-racks that actually work? Not only do these look atrocious, but how many bikes can you really fit on that before every workable angle is blocked by another bike or a pole splitting 90 degrees from another pole? Bike racks are such a simple concept, but they have been mystifying “designers” forever.
mphs

First bike porn, now bike rack porn. Tantric bike-rack porn, to boot. Where will this madness end?!
super_b

Does this mean you have to feed the meter to park your bike?
1305trini

Sheesh how come no one in this city has an imagination. Stop complaining the meters are ther for decoration and a bit of color.
NoLongerNew2CH

What is the over/under on the percent of people who are going to be really confused by this? I think a different design choice might have, err, been more prudent on this one … but points for creativity / effort.
Zayit

When will the bike rack crazyness end??? Less on the art work and more with promoting and supporting the ways to get more bikers on the roads in a safe manner.
Jacques

The way I see it, the more bike racks that get installed, the more biking in the city is promoted.

And if they have some artistic value, they’re more likely to be paid for by private funds (BIDs, foundations, etc), freeing up the public money for things like bike lanes, bike share, etc.

Where’s the problem?
- dynaryder
  
  Artistic is fine,as long as it doen’t interfere with function. That rack wastes alot of space.
  - Anonymous
    
    Agreed. I didn’t have a problem with the colorful paper clip ones posted here a few months ago, but these seem to take up a huge portion of the sidewalk.
- Kris
  
  The problem lies in the impracticability of the bike racks. Bike racks like this may be aesthetically pleasing or fun to look act but actually being able to lock up a large number of bikes on them may be relatively difficult. I, for instance, like to take off my front wheel so that my lock is able to lock up both of my wheels and the actual body of my bike and the straight up U-racks are great for that (and are just great for bike lock-age anyways). Plus you can fit at least two bikes per U-rack. Here, however, it would be difficult to fit many bikes because the arrangement is so bizarre.
  
  I agree with you that the more bike racks the better, but if bikers can’t actually use them, then it just seems like a waste of city resources.
  - another guy named chris
    
    Are you sure the funds for that bike rack are coming from DC government? I doubt it.
    
    Also that is not a high traffic area for bikes so I don’t expect to see more than a few there at any given time. S
mikez

I think this designer has a sense of the issue. Look at 7th between G and H in Chinatown. They removed a dozen or more meters where you could lock two bikes per and replaced them with six bike racks.

more bike racks everywhere please.
Kaleena

This is obviously not meant to just be a bike rack. It is a commentary on the fact that there are no bike racks in DC and we are forced to park our bikes at meters. It is a brilliant concept. I do not foresee that this is an actual proposal for bike racks but rather a statement on the need for bike racks. Totally digging this installation.
- another guy named chris
  
  +1
  
  I didn’t come to the same exact conclusion as you but also believe that this is social commentary on biking vs. driving. The warped parking meters provide parking for bikes. Brilliant!
- 10th st
  
  +10
- Anonymous
  
  What ia wrong with having to lock up your bike at a meter? Just curious.
Neil

It’s another in a series of “artistic” bike racks from the Golden Triangle BID, which I think does a great job for the neighborhood where I work. I like it.

http://www.goldentriangledc.com/item/golden-triangle-bid-unveils-artistic-bike-rack-re-cycle
OMG

What a bunch of whiners.

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