Home

  • Bike Plan Survey
  • MORE/Loch Raven Fundraiser

    • Bmore Bikes You Tube Twitter Facebook Group

    Morgan Stanley Bike Parking


    July 9th, 2010 | Categories: Parking | 11 comments

    A few weeks ago, I was riding back from a meeting and passed by this wonderful site.  So many bikes, unfortunately, such little space for bike parking.  The new Morgan Stanley building in Harbor East was in the final stages of construction when this picture was taken.  I’m not sure if there is additional bike parking now available but it is next to ample vehicular parking as covered by Baltimore Brew.

    This picture speaks volumes about bike commuters in Baltimore:

    It really doesn’t matter what kind of bike you ride.  Here the BMXs almost outnumber the road bikes.  Even O’s pitcher Jeremy Guthrie rides a BMX to the Yard.

    If there’s something solid to lock to, cyclists are going to use it as a rack.  A League of American Bicyclists survey question asks:  How many bike racks are in your community?  If we count all the official racks, sign posts, parking meters and tree guards, we would have a million bike racks easy.


    • commuter-x

      I'm curious if you know anything about parking garage bike racks in the city. I recently noticed bike racks in a parking garage just south of the circle in Harbor East, where President turns into Lancaster. However, when a group of bike commuters from the downtown building where I work approached some parking garages in the vicinity of Market Place, we were told by all of them that having bikes in their garages was too much of an “insurance liability” and so they wouldn't consider installing racks. I commute year-round and my bike has suffered from sitting outside during so many rainy days. I would even consider paying a nominal monthly fee for covered parking, if it were close to my building (which strictly prohibits bikes inside).

    • Dukiebiddle

      And yet there are locations where there is nothing at all for cyclists to lock their bikes to. The SFW at Mondawmin comes to mind, where the parking signs seem to be shoved into dirt without any concrete foundation and the one single grocery cart rail is in front of an emergency exit. Is there any old and unenforced laws on Baltimore's books requiring businesses of a certain size to install bicycle racks?

      I suppose this is as good a place as any to address the issue parking meters being eliminated, and only very rarely capped with bike racks on the former posts. I've only seen those in Baltimore a couple of times, and their installation seemed more symbolic than practical.

    • http://www.fitzgeraldbaltimore.com Chris

      It is quite interesting that there aren't as many bike racks/storage as you'd expect with so many commuters in Baltimore. Taking a cue from commuter -x's mention of paid bike lockers, you'd think that some garage owners would see the opportunity from this lack of posts and possibly make a bit of a profit while providing a much sought after service.

    • http://bike.baltimorecommutes.com Nate Evans

      City owned lots have no problem adding bike racks. Over the past couple years, I've helped the Parking Authority put racks in at least half a dozen garages around downtown. Private garages are a different story.

      Harbor East has been more progressive in getting bikes in garages and finally has them around the campus' sidewalks.

      For Market Place, Constellation has been pushing to get more racks there. Maybe some rack coverings would help too….

    • http://bike.baltimorecommutes.com Nate Evans

      Sorry Dukie, there are no bike parking laws….yet. In the future, any expanded or new structure will have bike parking.

      The Parking Authority (PABC) is in charge of replacing parking meters with the “pay to parks.” We were able to get some topper racks installed around Hampden, Greektown & Highlandtown where they are used on a regular basis. The topper racks are just as expensive as a traditional rack. I don't anticipate ordering more.

    • http://bike.baltimorecommutes.com Nate Evans

      I agree, Chris. Although most garages are private property and difficult to convince.

      UM just installed a “bike cage” in their Pratt St. garage. While it's only available to students, faculty & staff, there is the possibility of expansion. UM's experiment should be an example to area garages.

    • http://www.fitzgeraldbaltimore.com Chris

      Yeah I would imagine it'd be hard to convince them, rather then one of them coming up with the idea. Hopefully the UM “bike cages” are successful enough to get a public expansion and show private garage owners the benefits of bike storage.

    • Eva

      Is there a lock that cannot be cut by Baltimore thieves? I've already lost 2 nice bikes that seemed to have very solid locks.

    • http://www.baltimorecity.gov/bike Nate Evans

      Eva – Kryptonite’s New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock consistently comes out at the top of bike lock reviews. It sells between $50-$75, but that’s a small price for peace of mind.

      You can read other lock reviews at http://www.consumersearch.com/bicycle-locks

    • http://bike.baltimorecommutes.com Nate Evans

      Eva – Kryptonite's New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock consistently comes out at the top of bike lock reviews. It sells between $50-$75, but that's a small price for peace of mind.

      You can read other lock reviews at http://www.consumersearch.com/bicycle-locks

    • Eva

      Thank you, Nate! :-)

     

     


    The views and opinions on this website are those of the author and not of the City of Baltimore or the Department of Transportation. For official Baltimore City DOT news, please visit this page.