Show me your rack...

You've waited so long, you've been so patient. So here it is:

THE RACK RANT

Shoreline, show me your rack. Not that one! I can see that one at the coffee stands. No, show me your bike rack. Is there a local business with a bike rack? Not many. In fact I can literally name every business in this town with a bike rack because those are the business I frequent the most. And even those racks are woefully inadequate.

For example, the Safeway on Aurora Ave. N, does indeed have a bike rack. However, the rack is not at all in any way shape or form, secured to the cement it stands on. Numerous emails and in-person requests have failed to get this issue addressed. Oh and watch out for rats when you lock up there.

There is not a single coffee establishment in Shoreline with a bike rack. Businesses that do enjoy bike business either didn't install them (came with the property) or rely on customers being willing to lock up to a sign. Have you ever made the horrible mistake of locking up to a handicapped sign because it was the only stable place to lock? I have.

Earth forbid you try to eat at a local establishment. You're definately lockig up to a sign now. Or a post of some kind. This pretty much tells every cyclist passing through Shoreline "Your money isn't good enough," you could be willing to spend hundreds in their establishment, your bike could've cost you thousands. But a place to lock up? Pshaw! Your own fault if you didn't have the luxury of buying a folding bike. Oh, and good luck taking that folding bike inside, as the news has so recently shown, someone could call the cops on you. I once went to that little Greek restaurant and grocery by the Goldie Casino and had to lock up by the dumpster. Talk about unappetizing.

With a critical trail running through Shoreline you'd think there would be bike racks and bike parking aplenty. You would be hilariously mistaken. In spite of the hundreds that pass through our fair city, few stop, few would want to stop, and even fewer would endure such elitist treatment. Never mind that lost business, the cyclists who would rather ride to or live in Seattle, Redmond, etc.. than deal with the crap Shoreline throws at them.

But I'm not just going to tell you what's wrong. Besides our just amazingly stupid bike rack design at City Hall which still has not been fixed in spite of numerous attempts to convince them its dumb as fuck,

No, dear reader, I'm going to give you a solution, nay the most simple equation to fix this problem:


For every 5 car spots there needs to be one bike rail. For every 10 parking spots there needs to be a bike rack.

No exceptions.

Its that simple. Businesses don't want to install them? Then those businesses don't get car parking allotted to them. Think your businesses doesn't need bike parking? Ask your employees. Rent your space of business? Demand the property manager install them.

Until there's a bike rack you can kiss off getting my business or getting my recommendation.

Now, show me your rack, baby.

Find a place to park your bike and set your calenders

   Whether you're in Shoreline or Seattle or Lynnwood, or... Let's not play name-that-northwest-city, if you're reading this you love bikes, right? And let's face it, without the Seattle Bike Expo your calender is lacking in bike events overall. If you're anything like Frank & Sadie Doyle of Thrilling Adventure Hour fame, you love a good auction, right?
   The Bicycle Alliance of Washington, aka WAbikes, Annual Gala & Silent Auction is November 8th! At the Marriot Waterfront Hotel. Silent auction starts at 5:30pm, dinner and live auction starts at 7:00pm. What's up for auction? How about:

• A custom weekend bicycle tour for six. 
• A gourmet vegetarian dinner prepared at a unique location from a VW Campervan. A coveted RAMROD entry. 
• A flat of organic raspberries picked and cleaned just for you. 
• A mountain bike vineyard tour and private wine tasting with the winemaker for four.

Find out more at http://wabikes.org/events-rides/auction/

    Of course times are hard, but we can all do what we can to support bicycle advocacy. Especially the effective kind. If you aren't bidding you can volunteer, folks are still needed for all kinds of spots. Find out more by contacting their Auction Volunteer Coordinator.

    If you missed my coffeeneuring update, Bridge Coffee House is talking about installing a bike rack! I contacted them through their Facebook page, and they responded warmly to the idea. Shoreline residents, speak up! Be reasonably polite, but let businesses know if they want to keep you they need to put a rack in. It is perfect that the banners down Aurora depict a cyclist riding in silhouette when that is exactly what people do, they just ride through. Why stop when there's no place to park?
    Have a favorite local business that you'd love to bike to, but can't without parking at another business further away, or worse to some makeshift post? I bet we have a few in common.

• Gyro House & Grocery, great food, but you end up parking by the dumpster if you arrive by bike, what an appetizer. 
• Broiler Bay, good burgers sure, but the milkshakes are the best I've found in Shoreline. They do $2 dollar cheeseburgers that beat anyplace else, but I recommend parking at Safeway if you go.
• Master Hair by Top Tobacco (incidentally, also a good place). Actually all the shops in this area are great, but not a single place to park. Oh sure you can sorta lock up to the railing in front of the watch shop, but the owner really doesn't like that and its thick railing, so large U-locks only.
• Shoreline City Hall isn't a business, but I went by there the other day and lo and behold it is still the worst. Competition for worst bike rack, anyone?

    What's your favorite local place that doesn't have a rack?