Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog

Squeaky Wheels Get the Bike Parking

10:26 AM EDT on June 8, 2010

Hollywood_Trader_Joes_2_300x225.jpgProper bike racks: it's really so simple. (Photo: Illuminate LA)

This morning on the Streetsblog Network, a bike parking success story from Los Angeles.

Network member Soap Box LA
reports on how the organized efforts of bike advocates forced a new
branch of Trader Joe's in Hollywood to install bike parking -- just
weeks after it opened with no such facilities.

The new
Trader Joe's is part of a major transit-oriented development (TOD)
project at the fabled corner of Hollywood and Vine. But when it opened,
people who wanted to do their shopping by bike found an absence of bike
parking, and a lot of excuses from the chain store.

A boycott
ensued, fueled by Facebook and Twitter. Many phone calls were made to
corporate and government officials. And after some dithering, the store
installed appropriate racks.

As Stephen Box points out on Soap Box LA, it's mystifying that a redevelopment project touted as progressive design failed
to include bike parking in the first place. But quick action by a
network of engaged citizens was very effective in this case. Box writes:

It’sbeen two weeks since the TJ’s in Hollywood opened, It’s been two dayssince the director of construction installed the bike racks. They lookgreat and they are a victory for a few reasons.

*We’ve got bike racks and can lift the boycott! Now we can shop at Trader Joe’s!

*We’ve established a bike parking standard for the Trader Joe’scorporation! No wave or wheelbender bike racks, simple inverted-U racksthat are properly installed and spaced and protected and accessible andvisible and convenient and effective. This is the bike rack standardfor Trader Joe’s.

*We’ve established a bike parking standard for the Metro and for the[Community Redeveloment Agency]. Transit-oriented development must havea bike parking standard for the project as a whole and for the tenants.…

*We’ve established a bike parking standard for the neighborhood.

Maybe next time, they'll put the bike racks in first and save themselves the headache.

More from around the network: Transit Miami on the deadly nature of Florida's highways. Hugh Bartling on the potential for waterborne transit in Chicago. And Half Mile Circles on an upcoming US DOT webinar about the role of transportation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Monday’s Headlines Are Open for Business

Monday will be just another Monday for federal employees, as Congress avoided a government shutdown. Plus, declining gas tax revenue provides an opportunity to rethink transportation funding.

October 2, 2023

Why Connecticut is Investing in New Regional Rail

Gov. Ned Lamont will spend $315 million investment on new rail cars — but they're not going anywhere near Grand Central. Here's why.

October 2, 2023

To Help Save the Planet, Take the ‘Week Without Driving’ Challenge

Former Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz is urging Americans to give up driving for seven days — and support policies to make it optional for everyone.

September 29, 2023

Labor Gains: NYC Judge Tosses App Giants’ Suit to Stop Deliverista Minimum Wage

Justice Nicholas Moyne cleared the way for a long-delayed wage hike for workers who brave dangerous roads to bring food directly to New Yorkers.

September 29, 2023

Friday’s Headlines Are Charged Up

Expect a lot fewer ordinary gas stations and a few more Buc-ee's in your area as the electric vehicle transition continues.

September 29, 2023
See all posts