I say it’s about time that the Memphis City Government finally received
an award for all its’ positive efforts to make a dream come true!
Moreover, as a substitute teacher, I would like to ride my own to bike to work!
The Question: Is the local school system a part of the solution?
Some school administrators do not fully understand the long-term needs
of carfree citizens and they do not provide the necessary long-term accommodations
for bike riders, walkers, or bus riders. Meanwhile, some school administrators improvise
the best way they can.
To illustrate, I will only discuss two of my own experiences and
please do realize that not all of my experiences have been negative because
some schools and even some retail shops are on the bandwagon and they are truly ready to
make all of the right moves to accommodate all of us.
I have substituted at Hamilton High School on a few occasions; I
rode on a public transit bus. Then one day, I decided to ride the bike instead.
The school administrator allowed me to park my bike inside of the schools huge
janitorial closet. It was perfectly safe --- out of sight and out of mind. I
deeply appreciated the cooperation from Hamilton.
But, then later, I thought, if someone hides their bike, then no one
else will know about it, and they will not try to ride their own bike to school.
According to the National
Safe Routes To School, there are several alternatives for getting students
to school safely and several thousand schools across the country already
participate in this program.
So is there a happy medium between hiding a bike and showing it? I
will answer this question later on as I conclude.
When I substituted at The Downtown Elementary School, which was only
five minutes away from my home, the security guard allowed me to park inside the
building underneath this open-air staircase. My bike was perfectly safe and out
of the way and in the open, which serves as a prime example of what we should all
be doing.
On the outside of the Downtown School, there is not one place to
park a bike long-term --- not one bike rack or light pole is nearby to chain a
bike to and especially not nearby the front door where it belongs.
Of course, the day went very well for both the students, and me, as
I actually taught the children about conservation and how oil and coal pollutes
our air. This lesson was a natural part of their social studies lesson.
Then later, during our lunch break, the students saw my bike parked
inside of their school underneath the open-air staircase and located in plan
sight as one walks through the front door.
The students were so excited about this and they wanted to learn so
much more about bikes and conservation the next day; and, they paid closer
attention the rest of the day concerning all other subjects that I was teaching
them.
Unfortunately, on the second day at the Down Town School, a head
administrator came to me and said, that I had to park my bike outside and lock
it onto a route iron fence.
This day ended before it started. How sad.
I knew right then that the administrator was unaware of the
implications of this action, so I did not argue the point.
Instead, I decided to go back home for the day and loose pay rather
than risk loosing my bike, which is now my only transportation to get to work
and shop nearby my home.
Let me explain this further: I can always go back to that school on another
day; perhaps by then, this administrator will have gained much needed knowledge
like the students and me have about the needs of carfree citizens and
protecting our planet from pollution.
You see, that route iron fence at this school is well over 200 feet
away from the back doors of this school and the back gate is wide open for anyone
to pass by and take my bike. Now who might be of help long-term if or when they see someone
stealing my bike from that far away?
Answer --- no one with feet on the ground is close enough!
In fact, I have resolved the issue from my own end by adding a
10-pound monster chain and ten-pound u-lock as part of my armor, but this extra
weight often slows me down, especially if I also have extra packages on the
bike, like a backpack full of essential needs goods --- rain jackets, reflective
vest, and a tire pump just to name a few things. In fact, a backpack is like a car truck for the carfree citizen; and generally, it weights 10 to 20
pounds, as least.
Few people can cut into a lock and chain like the one I have with
ease. But, almost anyone can cut through this route iron fence with a pocket-sized
hacksaw within a few seconds. They can then take the bike and work on the chain and
u-lock somewhere else in hiding.
I did try to explain this situation to the administrator, but they
were firm about what they wanted.
Then, they told me that they also had security cameras, but I already
know that cameras without having feet on the ground is not going to keep my bike
from being stolen, especially if no one is close enough to nab the offender while
they are in the act.
The administrator may not realize that my bike is as important to me
as their vehicle is to them. Perhaps the administrator has other advantages,
such as a secure parking gauge, car alarms, and security officers that drive
around the parking lot all day long.
I was not asked to park where the cars do, as a benefit to me. Yet, I
was the only bike rider on or near the premises, which is as far as I could tell anyway; and, I
was asked to park my bike in an unsafe environment long-term and so far away from the
school doors.
Just because I am the only bike rider there, does not mean that
measures should not be in place to accommodate a few bike riders, walkers, or
bus riders. For example, bike parking inside of a janitorial closet with some
lockers, especially for staff and the occasional guest like myself would be
nice.
It would be far safer for all those involved and it will not take up
much space.
Now, our city has taken great measures’ to protect our tourist guest
as much as possible. They have installed a state of the art camera system all
over the place, especially on Main Street and Beale Street, but without feet on
the ground, including bicycle offers, no crime is truly deterred. So, in addition
to a walk-bike police force, they generally have squad cars and vans nearby too.
Within seconds, officers can be anywhere in the vicinity to pounce on a
criminal.
This school does not seem to take all these security measures for
bike riders, nor do they have anyone in place to pounce fast enough if a bike is
being stolen from the premises. Their only goal is to protect their vehicles.
Of course, I have run into this same thing almost every place I ride
my bike, as there are few or no designated bike parking spaces with secure
bike racks within a few feet of most doors.
Instead, there are some poles out front that are often so big that no one can
hardly get a U-Lock and a chain around them. I wonder if they do this on purpose.
It seems as if we should not even bother to ride a bike to shop at their stores,
especially not for utilitarian purposes.
Memphis is a far cry from being a carfree friendly city. This is a sad situation.
Even still, there is no reason whatsoever as to why all schools and
retail shops within Memphis and Shelby County cannot provide indoor bicycle parking
along with various other related faculties.
I hope our carfree experiences continue to improve. The best way to
do that is to live the life by taking to the roads and sidewalks to prove our
point.
As for answering the question from earlier in this post: Is there a
happy medium between hiding bikes and showing them --- the answer is clearly a YES!
In fact, there is adequate
information about bicycle parking racks, which can be installed and maintained easily
both inside and outside of any building --- Bicycle
Parking.
