Comments on: Solar-Powered Biketower BT 20-112 is a Multi-Story Parking Lot for Bikes! http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-biketower-bt-20-112-is-a-multi-story-parking-lot-for-bikes/ Green design & eco innovation for a better world Sat, 25 May 2013 19:09:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Robert Anderson http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-biketower-bt-20-112-is-a-multi-story-parking-lot-for-bikes/comment-page-1/#comment-352259 Robert Anderson Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:14:34 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=295427#comment-352259 I'm having a hard time envisioning the usefulness of this. I mean, come on -- why do we have to make the bike experience like the car experience? I don't want a "Bike Parking Garage" and here's why: If I have to walk 3 or 4 blocks after cycling somewhere, I lose significant amounts of the natural time advantage that cycling provides. The problem of parking for urban cyclists needs a more familiar solution, in two steps (one provided by the environment and one provided by the cyclist): 1. Copious Secure bike racks near all commercial entrances; 2. A bike lock of appropriate security for the environment; It really is simple -- this "green design" fails the Shoemaker / Papanek tests. For more on bike parking and security, see: http://practicalcyclist.blogspot.com/2008/08/byrne-bike-racks-and-design.html I’m having a hard time envisioning the usefulness of this. I mean, come on — why do we have to make the bike experience like the car experience? I don’t want a “Bike Parking Garage” and here’s why: If I have to walk 3 or 4 blocks after cycling somewhere, I lose significant amounts of the natural time advantage that cycling provides. The problem of parking for urban cyclists needs a more familiar solution, in two steps (one provided by the environment and one provided by the cyclist):

1. Copious Secure bike racks near all commercial entrances;
2. A bike lock of appropriate security for the environment;

It really is simple — this “green design” fails the Shoemaker / Papanek tests.

For more on bike parking and security, see:
http://practicalcyclist.blogspot.com/2008/08/byrne-bike-racks-and-design.html

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