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Hot take: The bike rack at the new grocery store in Bend is a total mess
I stopped by that new Natural Grocers on the east side yesterday, and their bike rack setup is just bad. It's one of those wheel-bender racks, the kind that only holds your front wheel, and it's placed right next to a sloped curb. I watched a guy try to lock his full-suspension mountain bike to it, and the whole thing was leaning at a 45-degree angle, ready to tip onto the concrete. The rack is maybe 18 inches long, so only two bikes can sort of fit, and they end up tangled. It's clear the people who put it in have never actually tried to secure a bike with panniers or a kid's seat. You'd think a store that wants to seem green would get this right. Has anyone else run into a public rack that just makes you shake your head?
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karenwest6mo ago
Maybe they just want to keep the sidewalk clear for people walking by.
3
dixon.mia6mo ago
Honestly just move the stuff a few feet back from the curb. Saw a neighbor leave a potted plant right on the edge and a delivery truck had to swerve. It's not about how many people walk there right now, it's about not blocking the sight lines for drivers or making people step into the street. Keep a clear path and you avoid all the drama.
4
emma_jones6mo ago
Keeping the sidewalk clear sounds nice in theory, but how many people are actually walking by there? I see that spot all the time and it's usually empty. Seems like they're just making a big deal over nothing.
0
sandragrant4mo ago
Exactly, it's not just about space, it's about safety and actually using the thing. A bad rack like that might as well not even be there because people will avoid it and lock to signs or benches instead, which causes more clutter. They spent money on a rack that doesn't work, so now bikes are scattered and it looks worse. Why do places even buy those wheel-bender styles when the good ones aren't that much more?
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