Bicycle Logic - locking

[freddybrett.livejournal.com]

Not an earth shattering nor hugely relevant entry, however:

With limited places to lock one's bicycle in this world, doesn't it make sense to lock one's bicycle so that one's lock is accessible by it's owner (outward towards the owner's bike) and does not interfere with the locking options of another bicycle on the other side of the same post in a way that both bicycles may each have free access to their respective locks on the same post?  When someone locks up in a way that restricts the locking of another bicycle to the same post or causes that second human to worry about the first human's unlocking, it is a limiting factor for all; this is a bicycle locking problem.  All bicyclists should strive to lock up logically with forethought for the next so that each has locking access to the post.  This is  'Bicycle Logic' and courteous behavior toward the next person who could be YOU.  (especially when meeting that hot date or going to see that awesome band by bicycle) 
Perhaps I have overthunk this issue, but I see it all the time and am bewildered constantly by the simplicity of the solution.  Sometimes I leave a note as to Bicycle locking "Logic".  Am I Crazy; should I still leave notes?  "Lock your bike with the lock access outwards toward your bike, please. Leave room for others"

Comments

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

This sounds like it might benefit from photos or diagrams (both in this post and in any notes you leave).

[ron_newman]

Seconded. I don't really understand this post from just the description given.

[dibalh.livejournal.com]

This seems clear to me (if only because I see the same problem sometimes). It's marginally-to-significantly easier to unlock your bike if the order of things is (key access side of lock)-(bike)-(post)-(inert side of lock) than if the order of things is (inert)-(bike)-(post)-(key), in the event that a second person locks to the other side of the same post.

That said, it's sometimes an inconvenience, but rarely an impossibility to move such a bike.

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Phrasing it that way made it much clearer.

I still think this kind of thing would be better with photos, though.

[freddybrett.livejournal.com]

Yes, my description is rambling - a picture would have summed it up better. dibalh's comment explained the scenario perfectly. I'll take a snapshot when I see a good example of this around town. This is not the greatest problem of our times, but I always wanted to make a post to Davis Square Live Journal, and for better or worse, now I have.

[smammy]

There is one situation I can thin of where it works better to lock your bike "keyhole-in": If there's already a bike on the other side of the post, it can be hard to get the U-shaped part of the lock in through that bike, and easier to slide the straight part with the keyhole in.

Now we've both definitely "overthunk" this.

[elements.livejournal.com]

And along similar lines, though we are a small minority of cyclists we are growing.... please try to think about how non-standard, ie cargo, bikes might be able to fit or not fit, when choosing how to lock your standard bike in a heavy bike traffic location. A lot of times there is only one place that would work for a bike with any kind of structural box or basket, and if that's taken, it's difficult, especially for folks riding with kids in tow or lugging around big things (which is why we have cargo bikes). Mainly this is relevant in very crowded areas like the squares or shopping centers, where there are never enough places to lock when lots of bikes are out.

Easy tips:
If you're the first bike to a u-rack or street sign that can hold two, and if you can safely do it while locking the way the OP described, if you lock on the street side it means a larger bike could lock on the building side. A larger bike probably can't get around a standard one to get to the street side, and may not fit period if another bike is already there.
If you can easily lock your bike by putting its wheel up on a radiator style rack at a busy store, and doing so doesn't damage your bike, that would allow heavier, larger bikes to lock on the sides. Of course what we all really want is better racks instead of the radiators at all!

I totally understand that I'm speaking for a tiny constituency, and we know it so we plan to have to deal with lack of spots, needing extra time to find a place, etc. Just saying that for any cyclist reading this thread and wanting a tip on how to be an even awesomer bike citizen, we riders of cargo and other large cycles would love it if you'd think of us.