BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

exciting stuff, huh? Did they paint it yet?

This is what it looked like on Friday. Well, half of it anyway...

i love the juxtaposition of those two signs. you can park your bike, or you can pay. your choice.

haha. yeah, that's pretty good.

Anyone see if the racks went in yet today?

just went past. it's painted and signed, the racks are not in. there were 3 bikes locked to signs and whatever they could in front of the entrance

Awesomeeee.

I hope they put one on penn in the strip, too.

Erica, if you know any businesses that would be willing to sponsor it, that's what's needed. The city can't just put it in, rather, they need a local business to want it there, and make sure it doesn't fill with trash and snow. The reason that we have the ones we do is because those businesses specifically requested them due to the high number of bikes and low number of places to lock.

erok wrote:Erica, if you know any businesses that would be willing to sponsor it, that’s what’s needed. The city can’t just put it in, rather, they need a local business to want it there, and make sure it doesn’t fill with trash and snow. The reason that we have the ones we do is because those businesses specifically requested them due to the high number of bikes and low number of places to lock.

Was this Kaya or 21st Street?

Kaya applied. They of course had to get the permission and support of 21st St (and other businesses on the block).

La Prima Espresso et al could really use a corral (and it would fit into their image, at least as well as the Italian cable TV). What do us mere citizens do? Lobby the businesses? (You know, being the ones who pay the taxes that maintain the streets.) Or is this a BikePgh thing?

I've personally approached La Prima's owner, and he is really into the idea. Unfortunately, his building owner isn't, yet. I think once a couple more of these pop up, people will be less scared of them. And no, it's not just a BikePGH thing. We need people like you to go out and tell business owners that you know that this is available to them. Personal connections can be key. Have them contact us and we can help them thru the process.

Ahlir and others. This can definitely be a citizen thing. I've found many of the businesses I worked with at the Waterfront really wanted the racks, they just didn't know where to begin. My suggested plan of attack: 1. Get the facts together. If you have a pamphlet (also digital) that you can give to a business covering bike rack best practices, types to use (and not use), and pricing, that's 80% of the battle. Then they can take that information to their managers/owners/etc. 2. Keep following up. This is a minor part of their job, so the more you can do for them the more likely someone will take action. 3. Be realistic. Don't feel they have to go for the whole thing right away, many owners are scared about pricing. Even if it's just one rack, that's one more and they can see how utilized it is. Remind them that one rack is under $200, that helps put things in perspective. 4. Thank them and show them that the racks they put in are utilized and appreciated. The more you have the knowledge they need and can just hand it along to the decision makers, the more likely you are to see action.

personally i'd LOVE to see one of these in regent square. i'd prefer right in front of d's since thats where all the bikes are parked already, and the couple of 3 rivers racks they have are almost always totally overwhelmed. not sure is their being located in swissvale makes a difference though.

Would love to see a corral in Lawrenceville, but having been to a couple prospective-business community meetings here and heard the squawking about how little parking there is already, somehow I don't think it's going to happen. Did give the owner of Hambone's one of the how-to-get-a-rack slips, though.

there's actually one in the works for 43rd and Butler. chances are looking good. One thing about corrals is that they don't always need to take a space away. sometimes they can go into a space where people illegally park. sometimes, they can take a space away, but it actually helps drivers' visibility and sight lines at a particularly bad intersection.

Kaya Corral is in!

Racks were all in use this morning, with a couple doubled up. My first thought was "what? that's it?" Once people figure out there's a corral it'll be hard to find space. (Yes, that sounds selfish and ungrateful and ignores the hard work everyone did to get it installed. So let me add a big thank you to the folks who made it happen.) Let's get more going.

There are quite a bit of yellow jackets in the corral. Small holes in the top of the corral are allowing them to make a nice nest inside. Should be an easy fix, but I'm not sure who is responsible for that. Would this be a good thing to 311?

Duct tape. More specifically, duct tape it right now so someone doesn't get hurt, AND 311 it so it gets done right. Clear plastic packing tape might be visually more appealing and still get the job done, in some cases.

The corral at doublewide looks good too, it's pretty much the same setup as the smallman st one. It's not on carson, but right at the corner of 24th st and e carson st along the side of the doublewide grill.

so as luck would have it, i heard word that they need to do gas line work under the doublewide corral, so it will be ripped out temporarily.

well, guess it was easier to just go around it.

I've had the opportunity to use the corrals at both the Double-Wide, on Smallman and in the public garage adjacent to PPG Place. All use (I think) the same hardware. They are great! One nit: the lengthwise rails that hold the loops together are really easy to trip over or stub a toe. It would be really great if something could be slapped on top so that people done't trip over them {cross-sectionally, add a triangle of something on either side I was thinking). But actually there are already designs that deal with this by using a metal plate with sockets for the racks. Here's one example: And another: and I realize there are other issues, like cost and availability and sourcing commitments. But I tend to think of these things as tools. If you're a cook would you you buy a cheapo knife? If you're a carpenter, would you buy a bargain screwdriver? These are things we'll be using for a very long time. Why have each instance of use potentially be annoying or injurious?

I wonder why two of the racks at the Kaya corral are painted gold now.

RustyRed wrote: I wonder why two of the racks at the Kaya corral are painted gold now.

VIP parking? :)

@elmo If they didn't sting you when you used the racks, they're probably the similar looking, far more common, and far less aggressive paper wasps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_dominula http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_jacket#Identification Yellow jackets have black antennae and paper wasps have red antennae FWIW, I had several paperwasp nests in my shed all summer (their nests are about the size of a large grape or two) and they didn't give me any grief even when my head was pretty close to them

ha. yeah, saw that they were gold the other day. there's also a gold painted fire hydrant on penn, about a block away.