I noticed something in the last few days of riding my bike around in both my hometown and the city. I know of exactly 3 bike parking spots, one at MEC, which is a very bike friendly company, one at my apartment and the other is at a Safeway. Pretty sad, so I'm going to start to complain to the business I normally shop at (Walmart, Tim Hortons, Dairy Queen etc)....

I've seen two sets of on street racks in San Francisco, but they are in all the wrong places for the same reason. For example one is on the NW corner of the intersection which doesn't help with visibility at all.

Southbound traffic (and pedestrians) still have to look around the wall of cars on the NE side of the intersection. West bound traffic cannot see around the wall of cars approaching from the right (the southbound vehicles).

I think it's great to complain, but maybe you can also point out some positive reasons why retailers would benefit from bike racks.

And that is the only thing that retailers are interested in.

Very good point. Always go for the "win-win".

There's probably a lot of good reasons, but the big one is an increase in customers. For example, if you can convince a grocery store that bike racks would give them a few new customers, they might go for it. Reason is that for the grocery business it generally costs a small fortune to get repeat, loyal customers.

Speaking from experience I can say that nothing buys my loyalty better than a convenient bike parking stall.

I notice this about my local grocery store. Not many in the area have bike racks. But my local Hyvee does and, even tonight in the dead of winter, there were two bikes already locked up when I arrived with my trailer in tow.

The manager must be very happy that he has some good customers using those racks.

Right. Another reason a retailer might like racks is that they're a lot cheaper to install and maintain compared to car perking spaces.

We asked for bike racks at the local strip mall, they said they couldn't afford to give up any parking...:rolleyes: Unfortunately I don't have much choice, the next closest grocery story (with no bike racks) is over 7 miles away. Kiss the devil and carry on!

Aaron :)

I'd be tempted to roll my bike straight into any of the shops in that strip mall.

I've learned to become adaptive in my bike parking/bike lock choices, since it's easier to find a sign/light post, hand rail, cart corral, etc. than being hassled by mall security. Plus, lugging a bike from shop to shop is a pain, unless one has one of those folding shopping cart style bikes.

The local Sports Authority has bikes inside, but not racks outside. I used a wide column that took most of my cable length, so that met my minimum requirement to go inside, but I was surprised that they apparently don't want bicycling customers.

I hope you don't live in Costa Mesa, California:

[h=1]Commentary: Bike law would discriminate against the homeless[/h]
July 06, 2012|By Eleanor Egan

The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday evening voted unanimously in favor of a new ordinance that, if adopted at the next public meeting, would "forbid rich and poor alike" to park a bicycle, except in a bike rack, on a public or semipublic (whatever that means) right of way or to tether it to a pole, hydrant, etc.

http://articles.dailypilot.com/2012-...-law-ordinance

I saw that on a blog and that is nothing but harassment and discrimination. If they had installed bike racks then made the ordinance I would have less problem with it. According to the article there are only 38 bicycle parking spaces in the 30 city parks. I know when I go to a park I will quite often want to lock my bike so I can walk around freely, can't be done here.

Aaron :)

I've heard of racks being stolen for scrap metal before the cement dries.

I don't think that was the problem here. They enacted an ordinance to prohibit locking bikes to anything but a bike rack, and then failed to provide any bike racks.

Aaron :)

Was the proposal enacted? Ain't the InterWebs great? Cyclists round the world can get heartburn over proposals from anywhere whether the "problem" has substance or not.

Passing a law is effectively going to war. If you have to resort to threats of violence (which is what laws are) or actual violence (war) in order to get something done, you're basically just a brute admitting that you don't know how to play nice with others.

In my city's case, we got them to give up some parking spaces to install privately owned parking racks with the names of the sponsoring businesses on them for advertising.

Like Drama, doncha?

less Dramatic.. City put in a lot of Green lollypop racks , around town .
more planters and benches, and refuse bins, with logo of old salmon cannery's labels.

Then I'd be locking my bike to anything that I felt would be a secure parking spot for my bike.