Keep The Parking Poles In Place
The following is a letter sent last week from Tim Tielman (Campaign for Buffalo History, Architecture and Culture) to Leonard Sciolino (Parking Enforcement Director) explaining that now is the opportune time to reconsider removing the city's parking poles. He explains why in the following letter that was also Ccd to Mayor Brown:
I think they and in-car meters are the greatest parking management and revenue tools since, well, the parking meter. Imagine eventually being able to customize rates depending upon location, time of day, and day of the week, and being able to keep track of demand in real time. Amazing.
I noted that as part of the program the city is the planning removal of 1300 old meters and posts.
It occurs to me that the city, rather than pay to remove all those posts, could convert them to bike posts. The posts could easily be outfitted with caps and the steel rings that Toronto offers (see photo) free to anyone who requests them, perhaps for what it would cost to tear them out and patch the sidewalk (picture below. Note the rings are parallel to the curb, so parked bikes do not extend into the walking path).
Presto, 2,600 dedicated bike parking spaces, right at the front door of businesses, offices, and houses (bikes can be locked on both sides of the post). Believe me, as an often-as-I-can bicyclist, this would be a dream come true. Secure, convenient bike parking is the first step to increased bike use, more customers for stores, better access for offices, less pollution, a greener city, and a more equitable mobility policy.
Overnight, Buffalo becomes one of the more bike-friendly cities in the country, just in time for spring riding season. I think it would get great press.
In terms of the present meter posts being obstructions to snow plowing (as the fellow on Hertel mentions), the posts are actually in line with sign posts and lightpoles, and actually closer to the curb than many tree trunks. And I don't see any businesses complaining about an increased parking capacity of 2600 people.
What would it take to do this?
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Comment Options
Dan
What about the parking Italians and parking Irish?
Thank you. Don't forget to tip your cocktail waitress.
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al-alo
why should we keep around a bunch of surplus galvanized steel posts? i think its pretty safe to say that more than half of the posts could safely go without really jeopardizing bike parking. id even go with one out of three.
bike can be secured to trees, signs, streetlights, etc. actually, two could be locked up at ever location without too much trouble.
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buffaloed
Nice one Dan.
Trees on streets like Hertel and Elmwood are mostly surrounded by little gardens, making trees a bad place to lock up. Street lights are too large for today's U-shaped locks which seem to be pretty popular. I think that converting these poles to bike hitches is a fabulous idea.
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urbanesque
It will take a lot more than surplus parking meter stands to make Buffalo the bike friendly capital of North America. Leaving these along the sides of most streets will probably not do a tremendous amount to add "more customers for stores, better access for offices, less pollution, a greener city, and a more equitable mobility policy." We have bike racks in many areas of the city that remained unused or underutilized throughout the year. We have streets that are remarkably unfriendly to bicyclists with deep potholes, scars left from water line repairs, unfinished pavement, etc. It is a nice idea, but definitely not the catalyst to revitalize the city and make it a greener place.
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sbrof
U shaped locks are not just a norm but a necessity.
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comptart_lws
I have a slightly off-bike question. With elimination of parking meters (but not the elimination of parking FEES) what is a tourist to the area supposed to do, to park legally? They won't have to use one of those pre-paid thingys, will they? Will there be validation-dispenser kiosks, like in the Bryant Street lot? I watch CitiStat enough, ya'd think I'd know what's planned (but I don't).
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MikeS
comptart_lws:
Yes...the idea is to place lots of the automated kiosks in areas that the meters are removed. They aren't using prepaid devices.
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RisingDamp666
Just tell the tourists to place a few dollars under their wiper blades so the nice meter person can pick them up.
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terrapintim
I think this is a great idea. Having bike parking directly outside of the business you would like to patronize is very convenient. Locking bikes up to trees and fences/signs is not that great of a solution. Trees can be damaged by this, even by people being careful about it, and they are already urban trees that take a beating in many other ways. Locking bikes to fences or signs, just looks kind of trashy for a city that is attempting to improve its image.
And I would have to disagree with you, urbanesque, I think this is the perfect type of catalyst to turn Buffalo into a more bike-friendly city. If bikers were to have these parking posts available to them throughout the city, then they would have more clout with the city to call for improved roads/bike paths.
Additionally, leaving these posts in place will prevent drivers from hopping curbs - making it a safer pedestrian environment.
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nonono
"I think they and in-car meters are the greatest parking management"
AMEN to that Tiny Tim, no one knows how to park at a meter as it is, and nonono Sally, you dont park with your car centered on the meter post! cant wait for the day when gas guzzling SUVS descend from the suburbs to shop the elmwood strip, leaving a good 9 feet between the car in front of them so thier vanity plate does not get dinged!
Lets NOT remove all these posts until we work out the kinks in the system please. Remember what a 'great idea' closing main street to traffic was? God forbid we should try a pilot program no and then to test all these bureaucratic 'brain storms' - emphasis on 'storms'!
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nonono
Definitions of 'storm' on the Web:
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
take by force; "Storm the fort"
a violent commotion or disturbance; "the storms that had characterized their relationship had died away"; "it was only a tempest in a teapot"
blow hard; a direct and violent assault on a stronghold
attack by storm; attack suddenly
Definition of 'brain'; (deleted:not relevant to this discussion board, for the purposes of BR posting, and Buffalo City governance, a vestigial anatomical appendage).
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Joshua
To tell you the truth, it looks like those bike rack things could start up and fly away.
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aMUSINGs
Part of the appeal of store front bike parking is the extra safety you feel when knowing its visible to people coming into and out of the store. And, biker's then know there is a place for them, and don't have to spend time figuring where the heck the bike rack for this area is. Transforming these parking meters into bike racks is a great idea, and as a frequent biker, I'd love to be able to use them.
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sbrof
It really would be in the best interests of businesses to maintain easy bike access. Especially in the warmer months biking is a very large part of getting around certain neighborhoods in the city. Implementing a program like this would be very beneficial.
Maybe keeping all the poles would be too much, maybe if we only kept 50% we would realize we should have kept them all. Who knows. It will cost money to do these conversions either way and perhaps. Just like the parking kiosks; we should setup a pilot program to test these conversions out on a couple blocks before investing into the larger overhaul.
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aMUSINGs
Part of the appeal of store front bike parking is the extra safety you feel when knowing its visible to people coming into and out of the store. And, biker's then know there is a place for them, and don't have to spend time figuring where the heck the bike rack for this area is. I have had drive to a location I would have rather biked to simply because I wasn't sure if I would be able to find something to lock my bike up to. Transforming these parking meters into bike racks is a great idea, and as a frequent biker, I'd love to be able to use them. And, its probably cheaper to retro fit them instead of removing them anyway!
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DJB
Why get rid of any of them? The cost to remove them cannot be that much cheaper than adding a ring. I am sure, with a little work, we could find volunteer labor to weld the rings to the posts. It does have advantages and at the very least will reduce the number of bike thefts. It is not always easy to find a place to secure a bike and it will definitely increase the likelihood that people will ride, especially with oil going over $100 a barrel. I cannot think of any drawbacks to this.
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SLEEPL8
nonono...can you please define more words for us...start with "irrelavant" and then do "obnoxious"
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Martin
locking a bike to a sappling, such as the one in above photo is stupidity beyond words, 1] damage the tree 2] i have seen tree's broken in half along allen to steal bikes. Toronto has the right idea, are our city officials bright enough to realize this?
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Mariner
Seems like a bright idea, maybe we do not need all of the meter poles but half would probably do. I know there are enough people riding bikes in Allentown and Elmwood in the warm months. Some even still ride in the colder season. I hope the city will at least think about it.
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nonono
"nonono...can you please define more words for us...start with "irrelavant" and then do "obnoxious" "
yesyesyes my octagonal narcoleptic, i can 'splain it, 'n i and spell it too!
irrel-E-vant:
1. Having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue; "an irrelevant comment"; "irrelevant allegations" i.e. " i think the casino will be good for business investment and tourism downtown" or "bike riders don't spend a lot of money shopping cuz they cant carry stuff like a tv home on their bikes"
2. Relevance is a term used to describe how pertinent, connected, or applicable some information is to a given matter. [it's opposite is Irrelevance: see any of the musings or responses to criticism by WCP, STEEL, Chris69, BenFranklin].
obnoxious:
1. objectionable: causing disapproval or protest; "a vulgar and objectionable person, a troll, or nemesis to the editor"
Archaic. Exposed to harm, injury, or evil: “The town … now lies obnoxious to its foes” (friar timothy tielman -11th century nottingham). Archaic. Deserving of or liable to censure. i.e." i dont mean to imply that ECB is old, just that her practices are archaic". 2. very offensive and unpleasant: obnoxious stench: as in the canal terminus on a sunny breezeless afternoon, or the fragrance of common council chambers.
[Late 16th century. < Latin obnoxius "vulnerable to harm" < noxa "harm" i.e. 'a pox on both your houses nonono']
now prey scat you eight sided napper and do your chores, i cant sit around here all day helpin you with your book learnin.
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ketchum_gnome
I was just in a city with the parking kiosks and it was great. We paid the maximum, all day fee and could leave the car in the municipal lot all day long without worrying about a ticket. it's really much better than coins.
thumbs up on the bike idea.
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SLEEPL8
nonono...are you off today or is it just that slow where you work?
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nonono
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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MP1
As a biker, I definately like the idea of being able to park my bike closer to where I will be. I feel a lot better if I can keep an eye on it (already had 3 bikes stolen, not interested in making it 4).
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BackInBuffalo
Buffalo could win a fair amount of cool-points for doing this; slap an "official" looking colorized cap or band on the pole, add a couple press-releases to the local media outlets and presto, instant do-gooderness for all.
These poles will also serve as excellent marketing tools for bands, artists, anarchists, etc. who use the vinyl applique for conveyance of information.
As for Buffalo being unfriendly to bikes, I've got to ask if anyone's ever biked around "healthy" cities like San Diego, LA, or Boston... Unless all you do is cruise up and down the boardwalks, pay your life insurance first.
As for now, me and my current parking pole, Dombrowski, are getting fat waiting for nicer weather. There's no way he's going to be able to run behind me this spring, let alone wrap my chain around his expanding waist...
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MJWorthington
you have to start somewhere to become more bike friendly and leaving/updating the posts is a start. Using lack of bike lanes/pot holes etc to not even begin bike infrastructure improvements is self defeating.
this is a great idea. everyone whines about not being able to park right in front of the buisness they want to go into, why shouldn't bikes have the same goal, especially when the poles are already there.
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MiesvanderDoh
if they are indeed to remove posts, i wholeheartedly support the plan to convert them into bicycle poles.
part of my senior project at UB was a new master plan for Buffalo, for which we had to examine most plans currently out. Every plan focused heavily on improving bicycle conditions throughout the area.
implementation of such has been quite lacking, even though some plans were produced by or for the municipality
and yes, u locks are a necessity. i take my front wheel off, and put it through the rear wheel, chain/seat stay, and front wheel when able
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Perry
I like Tim's idea - makes sense.
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Sjomancykel
I think it's a great idea. In fact, I presented it at a Bicycling and Pedestrian Advisory Board meeting a few months ago. It's been done successfully in other cities like Saratoga Springs, where they welded on the hoops, painted the entire structure black and added a brass horsehead to the top. It looks elegant, saves having to remove the posts and provides bike parking. We do need to go a long way to make Buffalo really cycling friendly but proposals like this are a step forward.
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BetterThanDetroit
Ha!! Now, I've had it!! Go ahead BRO and throw me off, but {deleted} this really desensitizes me. Actually, it makes me want to vomit!! Freaggin' bike racks now, huh? I'd like to see the RFP that went out for this {edit} Who was invited to the bidder's conference? Was the bottom line cheaper than removing the meters or is this Buffalo's political way of thinking outside the box? Whoever conceptualized this is an idiot. Whoever approved this is a crooked politician. Whoever got this project is RICH BITCH!! What was the project cost? Give me a story on who's taking initiative to get a singular RFP list for the city, the Board of Education, Buffalo Sewer, and Buffalo Municipal Housing. It's a LOCKED DOOR PEOPLE!!
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knock_knock
Bike parking is needed But, Toronto is having a big problem with this style of lock rings. They are easily broken with a short 2x4 or bar. The rings are made of a cheap cast metal they are not very secure they just look nice and keep honest people honest.
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sbrof
well if someone really wanted to steal a bike it doesn't matter what kind of lock or post it is locked to, they are going to get it. All we can really hope to do is keep honest people honest and worry about catching those who make a life out of crime.
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kirkswan
Why the hell is the city paying to remove the posts when the city can visibly afford shit! CITY OFFICIALS: start using the cities money more wisely! Lets think investing in development rather than clearing away some old posts!
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