For the Love of God, Take This Survey If You Want Better Bike Parking in Philly
Last week, I asked readers to send in tips for where to find covered bike parking in Philly. Your intel was awesome—so far, we’ve plotted 28 locations and counting!—but one thing was clear: We need more and better bike parking in this city. Like, now.
The Center City District seems to be laying the preliminary groundwork for a bike-friendlier downtown area, with a commuter survey it just released asking for input on where and how you might use bike parking if it was made more available in the city. The survey asks things like, “Would you use secure and covered bike parking at Center City PATCO stations?” (ONE THOUSAND TIMES YES!), and “What are the most significant changes that would improve your bicycle commute in Center City?” (multiple-choice options include “More bike dedicated bike lanes,” “More secure bike parking,” and “Lessons on how to load your bicycle onto a SEPTA bus” among others. Yes, yes, and yes.)
Here’s the question that got me most excited: “If you could have a dedicated and secure bike parking space with access to a shower and changing room, would you pay an annual membership fee for this service?” Do you see them? Visions of the amazingly cool McDonald’s Cycle Center in Chicago? Or the Bikestation at Union Station in D.C.? Dare to dream with me, people.
And, hey, maybe it isn’t such a far-fetched dream after all. I put a call in to Center City District president and CEO Paul Levy to ask how the survey fits in with broader CCD plans. “From time to time, we do a range of different surveys. They help us set our agenda,” he said. “Each of us has our own personal opinions of what we think is the best thing for the next level of improvements, but when we do broad surveys like this it really helps inform us about how different people are thinking about different issues.” He added that this is only the beginning of the transportation conversation; CCD is planning on holding a public forum this fall on transportation enhancements.
So if you want better bike parking or bike amenities in Philly, consider this is your first chance to let your voice be heard. Take CCD’s survey here, and encourage all your bike-commuting friends to do the same.
Photo: Shutterstock
