Bike Rack Resentment in Ball Square

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Recently, the city put in a new bike rack in Ball Square, occupying a parking spot right in front of Eat at Jumbo's and The Pub. Early this morning, I noticed a handmade sign on the rack that said (paraphrased), "Help us get rid of this bike rack. Please call 311."

I have to assume it is the patrons/operators of The Pub who are most upset because E@J posted a positive message on their Facebook page:

Any one see our city bike rack? 1) its going to hold our new awesome delivery bike that is in the finishing touch of being custom built by Commonwealth Bikes of Medford MA. 2) Our bike customers have prime parking. 3) We honor and sell Bike Benefits Stickers. That can save you money. Pretty cool for 2 wheelers...

Is the loss of a parking spot that big a sore spot? I have to wonder if bikers might be subject to harassment or vandalism.

Comments

[ron_newman]

That's going to get heavy use on weekends, by the crowds who line up at Ball Square Cafe and Sound Bites and Kelly's and True Grounds.

The two corrals that the city installed last year, in front of Diesel Cafe and Bloc 11, were always near-full whenever I passed by them.

[squirrelitude]

There's also a new corral in Teele Square, which I was happy to see.

[cos]

You could add to the note next time, something like "I'm glad it's here, why do you want to be rid of it?" and see if anyone answers.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Ha! This is what I would do.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I noted one of those on College Ave near the rotary. I think it's a great idea, but I'm not a Somerville resident so nobody there wants to listen to me :)

[cos]

Did they actually tell you they don't want to listen to you, or are you guessing? I don't actually know if they want to listen to you or not, but if you're someone who tends to spend money at Somerville businesses then I think they should want to.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

just a guess, but maybe I am so used to Medford not giving a crap about anything that I'm jaded.

[ron_newman]

I'm hoping Medford will look at Somerville's experiments (such as this one) and try to copy them.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

I am so excited about that one. It's good for the little corner of restaurants around there, and the little park across the street.

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

There was a similar sign yesterday morning on the one in front of Yoshi's at Powderhouse. It may just be a local anti-bike person, unconnected to the Pub. (The sign was gone by the evening.)

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's pretty suspicious that the exact same sign is in two locations.

I think it's some cranky-pants with their panties up in a twist.

I especially resent the fake-community-building sentiment of "help us" when there is no definition of who "us" is.

I, too, plan to go back and add "We love this bike rack! YaY!" signs.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing it's not the so-called "yuppies" who want to be rid of it. I was suggesting it was The Pub's crowd (which isn't usually the bike-riding type), but other posts hint it might be someone opposed to bike racks in parking spots in general.

[ceo]

I did think that was a location for a parking-space bike rack most likely to piss off a segment of the population. A block back in front of Salon Cū might have inspired less rancor.

[witchdogtor.livejournal.com]

I thought the same thing when I first saw it. The Pub patrons are probably the most diametrically opposite of those who would make use of the bike rack! I was amused.

[ron_newman]

Are they a lot different from people who go to the Burren, or Johnny D's, or Old Magoun's Saloon?

[witchdogtor.livejournal.com]

They appear to me to be a slightly different demographic.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

The Pub has a reputation for having some regular clientele with less than squeeky clean backgrounds. Of course that is all hearsay.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I disbelieve that this is connected to the Pub, since the signs showed up in Powder House Square, too. I think further speculation about the Pub is a mistake.

It's probably one cranky-pants. Maybe someone who drives everywhere and resents the loss of a parking space for one car over a space for 10 bikes. loser.

[witchdogtor.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I think we were just amused at the irony of a bike rack installed outside of The Pub.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

eh, I used to pop in there from time to time and while it had a nice assortment of faded drunks with a glimmer of murder in their eye, it also had more than its share of Somerville hipsters (which is probably the source of the glimmer come to think of it).

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

I like this sentence you have written, it is eloquent and made me smile.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

considering how tight parking can be around there, i get why people might be pissed at the loss of a space. on the other hand, you lose space for one car but gain space for a whole bunch of bikes, which isn't a horrible thing. (well, i guess it is if you hate bicyclists....)

[cos]

> considering how tight parking can be around there, i get why people might be pissed at the loss of a space.

Which is like drivers being pissed off at big slow clunky buses making traffic worse. Replace each such bus with 10 or more extra cars, and their traffic would be worse, but they wouldn't have such a clear visible thing to rant against. The bike space isn't taking away any more parking space than any car parked at a meter down the block, but they see such a car as a more legitimate user of the space without actually thinking it through.

[crazybone.livejournal.com]

I could understand the resentment if the city just did this by fiat without informing the local businesses/residents.
Did city residents or the local businesses request this?
Was there adequate notification before this happened?
Just curious.

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

I remember reading that the one in front of Diesel was done with input from the Dieselians.

[charolastra00.livejournal.com]

While it's really not making all that much of a difference, I know as someone who was disabled for most of the last year (as in not having the strength to walk a block or two from parking but fine once I was sitting), there is a SERIOUS lack of parking for the disabled. That basically means that if you have a handicap that makes it difficult for you to walk, you're SOL and forget about going out unless you spring for a cab. When I see bike racks in former parking spots, I'll admit that it sparks a little bit of rage. But it's not like that would be a handicapped spot anyway, so it's not exactly the best argument.

[cutieperson]

But it's not like that would be a handicapped spot anyway, so it's not exactly the best argument.

as someone who is permanently disabled, i disagree. while not handicapped spots, all of the bike racks are in prime parking spots that make it much easier to get into popular businesses.
i think the bike racks are great in concept, but could have been placed a little more out-of-the-way since if you're capable of biking around town you're probably capable of parking your bike a block from the prime spots and walking the rest of the way.

[annalauwa.livejournal.com]

as a biker, there's a good chance that i might instead try to find a spot squeezed onto the sidewalk, if the bike racks are not in a prime location. that's not to say that i don't sometimes park my bike in a certain location and walk from there (such as around harvard sq), but most of the time i will bike to my destination, and then find the closest spot for my bike.

[annalauwa.livejournal.com]

just to clarify, i am for more parking for disabled patrons, but wanted to add a perspective that might be the rationale for placing bike racks in prime locations

[dilllll.livejournal.com]

That's not necessarily true. When my wife was pregnant, she had a lot of problems walking (I think the baby's head was really far down into her pelvis). However, biking on an upright bike didn't hurt.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

I agree with this, actually. As a biker I would rather walk further than take over such a prime spot, and I would love to see prime spots like that designated for people with handicap stickers. I don't think it would deter people all that much - I bet a lot of people using the Ball Square rack, for example, will actually be there for True Grounds.

[smammy]

My partner was in "the book shop" the other day and overheard the E@J's guy and the book shop guy griping about the bike rack. Their main concern seemed to be that the City didn't consult them or give them any warning before placing the bike rack. The E@J's guy said that you can't pick up a pizza on a bike, and that he'd like a 1-hour parking spot (for people dining in) and a 15-minute parking spot (for people taking out). They agreed that the bike rack would be OK if the bus stop was moved.

[ron_newman]

but Eat @ Jumbo's posted a positive message on their Facebook page about it (as noted in the original post)

[smammy]

Yes. Their main concern seemed to be that the City didn't consult them or give them any warning before placing the bike rack, not the existence of the bike rack per se.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

That doesn't really explain the exact same note, with the exact same wording, up in Powder House.

[smammy]

I didn't say it did! I was just sharing an interesting anecdote that might shed some light on how the business owners on that block might feel about the bike rack.

[madrigal.livejournal.com]

They just put 2 bike racks in Union Square. One is on the square in front of the Precinct next to the benches, the other is in a parking space in front of El Potro.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

A friend pointed out this notification from the city about these:

http://www.somervillema.gov/news/bike-parking-corrals-moving-ten-locations-citywide

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

I'm so impressed with the city and the mayor's forward thinking, especially as it relates to bikes. It makes me pleased to be a homeowner in Somerville:)