Your Opinion on a Proper Bicycle Rack for a Large Hospital.

I attend a large facility every week, and I noticed how some of the bicycle racks were a little wobbly. One day the cover plate was off one of them, and it was just laying on the ground. I noticed only 2 bolts locking the sideways "D" loop bike rack to the concrete. So I put in a "suggestion" sheet at the front door, then a second a couple weeks later. I waited a month, then I started putting a sheet in every time I went, about 2 more times I'd say. The last one was Tuesday, I wrote "The benches are more secure then the bicycle racks". I grabbed a few more suggestion sheets so I could write more in a prepared manner. Well I got a call from the Facilities Manager saying they will put in a 3rd bolt and add some Loc-Tite, I'd prefer a single bolt to be welded, so perhaps a formal letter to the Facilities Manager is in order, suggesting a better way for securement, even if its just Steel Epoxy. I dont think red Loc-Tite would suffice. Perhaps I should send them some "official" materials on proper bicycle rack securement setups, to get my point across. Even if I can find something official from the city of Calgary, could be a challenge.

Well I can say atleast they read the suggestion sheets from the suggestion box and contact the person writing the suggestion.

Last summer, I saw a mid drive bicycle locked up, the EGO or ECO. Then of course some of the employees ride to work and I saw a few very nice, and expensive looking road bicycles. I know one fella who works there, does the triathlons and his bike is easily worth C$5k.

Seen here:
https://electricbikereport.com/swiftmile-electric-bike-solar-charging-stations-videos/

Hey Markz,

here in pittsburgh our local bicycle advocacy organization does a great job encouraging local companies to institute bike friendy measures for their employees.

Louis Fineberg is the ex-director of Bike Pittsburgh and now works for Dero Racks.

Might want to reach out to him for advice!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-fineberg-074889163/

https://www.dero.com/

Cheers,

Len

I couldn't even find a bike rack for the general public at Mayo Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. I did find one in that back near the employee entrance that was clearly intended for employees. I used it, but then had to walk half way around the rather large building to get to my appointment. Given that I rode 20 miles to get there, I guess that's not really a bid inconvenience. Maybe they figure people going to the hospital aren't healthy enough to be riding a bike. But still, they should have a bike rack out front. If only as a suggestion that maybe riding a bike might be good for you.'

I had meant to send them a letter, but never did. This reminds me that I should.

Next time I ride there, I think I'll lock my bike to something solid out front until a bike rack shows up.

When my mom was in her last year (a decade and a half ago), I wetn every day to see her in the hospital down on Glendale/19th ave, I think it was Phoenx Baptist (can't remmember anymre), there was no bike rack at all, so I locked mine up on the handrail next to the concrete wall of the "awning" for the lobby/ER, since there's always a lot of traffic there. When I guard once told me I couldn't, I asked (knowing already there wasnt' one) where the bike rack was to lock it up at, and was told "well,...I don't know", and I said that if he could guarantee it wouldn't be stolen while I was inside seeing my dying mom, I'd put it somewhere else.... He stopped bohyering me. I don't remmeber seeing another bike there anytime I was there...so either I was the only person riding a bike to the place (unlikely) or the rest kept getting stolen or they took them inside with them, or something.

I did write a ltter about it to their facilities management, and never got a reply. AFAIK, they never put one in, but I haven't been back since she died (at a different place).

FWIW, the oher place, closer to downtown Phoenix, somethign like maricopa care or similar, where they had a hospice wing and a mental care wng and a prison care wing, teh entire thing was fenced in and patrolled pretty well (more to keep people in than out). THey didnt' have a rack either, so agian, locked to hand rails. Did see other bikes there, similarly locked to handrials, or sometiems lcokd to door handles (blocking the doors). Sometimes licoked to the fences.

wturber said:

Next time I ride there, I think I'll lock my bike to something solid out front until a bike rack shows up.

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There is a U shaped cove beside the front door, 50'x20' I'd say, thats where the racks are, someone could easily hide there not caring about the camera's with a hoody on. The first time I went there, I literally locked my bicycle up to the bench, right next to the front door. The bench had big rocks behind it acting like a border to the raised garden. I did not even see the bike racks because there is a middle raised garden. This hospital is LEER rated, so something fancy whatever that means, env friendly or what have you, yet bicycles are hidden away, pffffffffffft. Plus to get to the front door, you have to zig zag all the way around a hotel, in a U, then turn at the parkade entrance (straight ahead), then 300m down is the front door, with some people always standing across the street. They have people at the train stations too. Never pay much attention to them church goers.

The next step in my plan was to write a letter to LEER and state how unfriendly the hospitals bicycle culture was, hiding the racks in the alcove, and only having 2 easily removable nuts. The voice mail the Facilities manager left, was "We will add a 3rd bolt with loc-tite and anyone trying to steal a bicycle will be on camera for extended period of time" so I will word my letter accordingly, because a hoody, long ratchet and buh bye to a bicycle. Its not like its a bad neighborhood, but that new hospital cost $35,000,000,000 BILLION Cdn Peso's. Its the point of the matter, and I wisely chose my battle, even though my time is coming to an end at that hospital.


Yeah amberwold, that is too bad that people just dont know any better. Had the same thing happen when I was on the train. Obvious wires on my bike, driver at the end of the line changing cabs said "I'm sorry" from the other end, I knew what was coming. He said is that electric, I said no, he said oh is it gas, I said no, then he huffed and said then move it to the front or back, he knows theres a bar in the middle, and I told him so. I went anyways and instead of a 15-25 second wait at the stop I wanted to get off at, it took double the time. I basically stood there, moving the front wheel back and forth half outside the door, while I smiled at the passengers and counted to 100.

I did something similar to you AW, one cheesy movable bike rack at the Foothills, always full in the summer. Same thing, handrail by the door. No one said nothing, and yes there were security guards coming and going doing their rounds.

Ideally yes, I would love an outlet by the bicycle racks, again gotta pick the battles.

Perhaps a more organized effort on stuffed up facility managers needs to be implemented, especially if people work there.

amberwolf said:

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If I were to design a rack for any place, I would not bolt it to the ground at all, I'd use concrete-filled steel tubing actually planted in the concrete itself. Much harder to cut thru with anything portable or likely to be used in a public place.

Then I would place it next to the most used entrance, just to the side enough so any bike (even really long ones) do not block the entrance itself. It'd be in a large enough area that anyone can also walk or wheelchair/powerchair around it, or even be pushed past any bikes on it on a stretcher, etc.

But it would have enough space to accessibly hold at least several bikes of varying shapes, sizes, and designs, including accomodating long cargo bikes and wide cargo trikes.

Ideally it'd have outlets for charging ebikes, too, but I can understand too much liability issue for that to be likely.

The hard part is getting facilities to provide this space, in a useful and secure / safe space.

Most of them are unwilling to provide the space at all (even if someone else pays for the rack).

Those that are willing are not willing to put it in a useful or secure area--they want to put it off well away from entrances or paths people travel on. Or they are unwilling to provide a large enough space for even a handful of normal bikes, and don't accommodate anything unusual at all.

Some places, like the WinCo around 59th Ave & Bell, place the rack beyond the line where their shopping carts' wheels lock up from the electronic security devices. So you can't go shopping unless you have only a bag you can hand carry, or you bring your own cart to shop with, or you take the cart as far as it goes, then either drag it (damaging it's locking wheel by flatting it on the down side), or unlock your bike and bring it to your now-unattended cart. :/ For cargo bikes like my SB Cruiser trike that cna carry at least a mounded-up large shopping cart full of stuff (or more), the last one is the only practical option, other than damaging every one of the carts you use by dragging it (if you even can, loaded up like that).

"a Large Hospital"... in (Calgary) Alberta? Gonna go with the Foothills Medical Centre. Wiki says "Staff when the hospital is in full operation: 1,200-1,500."... So, are these bikes "in need" for staff... or visitors? Reason for asking, in BC the Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops has been offering its academic staff of about 650 a "e-mountain bike incentive"...

The program will utilize TRU’s purchasing power to provide a significant discount (up to 30%), allow employees to pay back a portion of the cost over a year, and offer an incentive of 10% through the Sustainability Grant Fund. Varied pay structure options will be available that include paying back the cost over a year through payroll deductions.

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(As seen in ES Newz
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=57933&p=1382878#p1382878

Anyway. Watts "hot" these daze (other than electric assist. hehe) are 1) Cargo bikes and 2) Folders?

So. Were I King at Foothills, I'd be offering staff an "incentive" to buy folding bikes which they can take indoors and "park" behind their chairs or under their desks, etc.

Hehe... news from last October...

Parking woes continue as opening of Foothills hospital main parkade delayed
("Alberta Health Services found asphalt problems on all four levels")

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:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/parkade-foothills-hospital-delayed-parking-woes-1.4883086

Hehe... "2,000 parking stalls". Question for today... How many folder ebikes fit into 2000 parking spaces?

`Course, "your" "big" hospital might not be Foothills...

The hospital I retired from had had 5 racks holding 10 bikes max each. Three were in high foot traffic areas near entrances and such. Four were were mostly “mine” and were chained to existing handrails, fences etc. I could move 2 of them wherever I wanted to when my job changed over the years.
In addition there were 12 bike lockers for employees to sign up for as available. I never liked the lockers because they were Black Widow hotels.
Out of a couple thousand employees only a dozen or so were regular commuters over the years. One guy still locks his Pedego to a riser right outside of his office window. I used to know most of the regulars.
The bike racks I took responsibility for were from the early 70’s. They had curved galvanized wheel holders and just bolted together at the bottom. Earliest episodes of “Three’s Company” TV series show the identical racks along the Santa Monica beach bike path at the beginning as the theme song is being played. 8)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=97Q0HxuXgt4

LockH said:

Foothills Medical Centre

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No its the newest one in Calgary, South Hospital, awesome view of the mountains!
In the summer, spring and fall at the main entrance I would seea dozen bicycle locked up. There are other entrances.
https://www.google.com/maps/@50.8812317,-113.9513245,87m/data=!3m1!1e3
Basically to the right of the circles. You can do a street view and see how its hidden away. Be lucky if there were even people sitting back in there, some do have a smoke but its not common. The sign poles on the curb, are all bolted. You can see the rack style behind the big bus stop.
https://www.google.com/maps/@50.8809292,-113.9512291,3a,15y,34.28h,84.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqn6iK8yPVmmnuKpYV9H7Cw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This is the alcove.
https://www.google.com/maps/@50.8809292,-113.9512291,3a,15y,345.26h,86.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqn6iK8yPVmmnuKpYV9H7Cw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

markz said:

. Be lucky if there were even people sitting back in there, some do have a smoke but its not common.

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That's the other thing that disgusts me is that too many bike racks, where they even exist, are stuck wherever the smokers have to go, so I have breathe that crap if I want to use the racks.

There are places I go that have racks that I won't use, and instead will just park in a regular parking space out front, just so I don't have to breathe the smoker's toxic fumes. I actually had a security guard try to tell me I couldn't park in a regular parking space once, and I asked him if he enjoyed standing in the middle of smokers without any choice, and he abashedly agreed it was a crappy place to put the rack and left me alone.