Good News/Bad News

I took this photo while biking to the office recently. It contains what I consider to be both good news and bad.

First, for the good news.

I continue to see more and more people cycling to and from their workplaces around town, and more and more of the bikes being used are upright bikes—often revealing a certain sense of style. This retro-cruiser bike has been parked at the Oregon State Hospital quite often as of late, and I had the good fortune to be able to have a chat with its owner recently. I think this is the first time I have seen a bike parked at OSH.

I like to see more folks use their bikes around town, riding in their normal work clothes and not turning cycling into some sort of specialized hybrid of esoteric sport and a HAZMAT operation. I also like to see bikes that encourage a more leisurely, fun approach to the practical task of getting there and back. This sort of bike reflects the fact that much of the inner core of Salem is quite flat and relatively easy to bike. Bravo (or, Brava, in this case)!

Now, the bad news:

This is the only feasible place to park and lock a bike anywhere in sight on this side of the newly-renovated (at considerable expense) state facility. I have looked for any bike racks nearby—even a simple “staple” style, the most frequent form—but haven’t found anything. It seems a bit odd, given the amount of care to provide for all sorts of access issues at this facility. There may be racks elsewhere on the site, but one looks in vain on this frontage. Perhaps I’ve just missed the rack…but should it be that hard to find?

I applaud the cyclist who uses this bike and this location for parking. I am only sorry that here, as elsewhere, the State Government wouldn’t make the effort to encourage multi-modal access.