Tag Archives: bicycles

May is National Bike Month

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Did you know that May is National Bike Month? The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week 2010 from May 17-21 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 21.

Here are some bike rack location tips from the International Bicycle Fund:

  • Visibility: Cyclists should easily spot short-term parking when they arrive from the street.  A highly visible location discourages theft and vandalism. Avoid locations “off on the side”, “around the corner” or in un-supervised parking structures or garages.
  • Access:  The parking area should be convenient to building entrances and street access, but away from normal pedestrian and auto traffic (see below).   Avoid locations that require bicycles to travel over stairs.
  • Security: Surveillance is essential to reduce theft and vandalism.   For security, locate parking within view of passers-by, retail activity, or office windows. Better yet: officially assign building security, parking lot attendant or other personnel to watch for suspicious behavior.
  • Lighting: Bicycle parking areas should be well lit for theft protection, personal security and accident prevention.
  • Weather Protection: Whenever possible protect bicycle parking area from weather.  We recommend that you use an existing overhang or covered walkway. Alternatively, construct a canopy or roof — either freestanding or attached to an existing building.
  • Avoid Conflict with Pedestrians: Locate racks so that parked bicycles don’t block the pedestrian path.  Select a bike rack with no protruding bars that could trip or injure cyclists or pedestrians.  Very low bar-type racks can be a hazards to pedestrians — not recommended.
  • Avoid Conflict with Automobile: Separate bicycle parking and auto parking and roads areas with space and a physical barrier. This prevents motor vehicles from damaging parked bicycles and keeps some thieves at a distance.  Most professional bike thieves use vans or similar vehicles to hide there activities and make a get-away with their booty concealed. The closer bicycle parking is to automobile parking, alleys, roads, etc., the better the opportunity for a bike thief.

Library Journal 2010 Design Institute @Atlanta

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Just returned from the Library Journal’s 2010 Design Institute in Atlanta, GA where I moderated a panel: Sustainable Libraries with or without LEED. On the panel with me:

We tackled whether or not LEED is “worth it” (yes); will it cost more (upfront, yes; long term – probably not); “must-have” green features (best answer: building owners willing to make the commitment to green the project); and “green” features to skip (showers in libraries to get the LEED point for bike racks and preferred parking spots for hybrid vehicles).

During the “green must-haves” portion of the discussion David Moore took me by surprise when he focused on water conservation. I was expecting everyone to focus on renewable energy (geothermal, solar) or energy efficient  options as that is what has been most important here in New York, however, given that the overwhelming majority of the audience was from the South East (Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina) they were acutely attuned to the recent drought. Stories were told of people trying to capture the condensation off the air conditioning tubes for a little extra water and using buckets to capture the water coming out of the shower as it warmed up to a reasonable temperature. David expressed that he would be hard pressed not to incorporate water conservation (rain catchment, gray water recycling for toilets, landscaping etc.) features into future projects.

I’ll share more thoughts from this event this week but just wanted to share a bit about the experience as it is so fresh in my mind this morning!

PLA @Portland

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I just returned from the Public Library Association Conference in Portland, OR. I was really impressed with the city and convention center from a green perspective.

From the MAX light rail system (which clearly marks the stop for the library!) to the bike friendly features of the city to solar powered trash compactors – around every corner was a new piece of evidence of thoughtfulness towards the environment.

The Oregon Convention Center (LEED-EB Silver) was another refreshing experience – clearly marked recycling points throughout the building, dual flush toilets, a large rain garden to mitigate storm water run-off from the site… and they had great signage alerting attendees to the sustainable features of the convention center – something I am highly critical of is when LEED buildings do not take the opportunity to educate users of the facility to the green features of their buildings. OCC does a great job in this area.

They city is eclectic, fun and funky and I appreciated the opportunity to visit.