Bike Racks: YMCA

The downtown YMCA on North State Street has a very interesting set of bike racks. I couldn't find any manufacturer's info. on the racks so I don't know where they come from, but I don't think I've seen this design anywhere else.

There are two racks side-by-side, and each rack is a double-decker.

That adds up to 28 parking slots, plus room for one bike on each side to lock to an upright, for a total of 30 spots in a relatively small space.

You roll your front tire up onto one of the built-in ramps and roll it up and through the wheel-grabber posts at the back. It looks like folks lock in a variety of ways: around the wheel-grabber bars with a cable; around the horizontal cross-bar with a long cable; and possibly to the small metal loops at the sidewalk side of the racks. Looks like u-locks would be a problem if the two spots on either side are taken.

When I took the photos (two different days) there weren't any bikes parked on the 2nd level, but I know I've seen some up there before. If it were me, I probably couldn't lift my bike up that high.

The racks are located just off the main entrance on the ground floor, right on the sidewalk. Cyclists probably access the sidewalk from the corner of State and Holly, then it's about 1/4 of a block to the racks. They're covered, in an alcove of the building, and the sidewalk has an awning over it, so it's quite decently protected from weather.

It's great to see 30 covered bike parking spots so close to the main entrance of a business. I applaud their creativity for really packing them in there. Obviously some folks can utilize the upper deck even if not everyone can, so overall that's a good thing.

Northwest/Elm/Dupont Project Update

Last time we checked in with the project to add bike lanes and pedestrian enhancements to Northwest/Elm/Dupont corridor between Whatcom Creek and I-5, it was going out to bid (project page). Well, the bids came in and Colacurcio Brothers got the contract.

And work has begun!
They're starting on Dupont with new curbs and improved accessible sidewalk ramps. The intersections all had accessible ramps before, but maybe they weren't good enough?
At F St. and Dupont it looks like they're installing curb-bulbs -- and apparently are taking away the turn lanes on F. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I sure wish the project page had some information about it....
And in a recent blog post, the City let slip that the street is going to be resurfaced. There are certainly spots that need it.
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Update 6/17

Half of the curb-bulb curbs are in at the F St/Dupont St intersection, and now it does not look like they're taking nearly as much of the roadway. Maybe the turn lanes are staying?

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One aspect of the project I have to give Colacurico Brothers credit for is maintaining pedestrian access during construction. When they've removed sections of sidewalks, they've been really good about putting in temporary fill to help walkers through the area. And when they started pouring concrete this week, they set up temporary walking paths in the streets, set off with construction pylons. Like so:

It's a step in the right direction. Maybe in the future they'll move on to including pedestrian detour signage as well, just to ensure there's no confusion.