Covered bike parking for the win – BikePortland

Since we’re sort of on the topic of bike parking, I thought I’d share an experience I had this morning in the Pearl District.

I had at meeting at Sisters Coffee on the corner of NW Marshall and 13th. It was raining and in the high-30s (pretty tough riding weather) so I dressed up for the ride. I had my parka, a cozy and waterproof hat, and a cool new pair of rain paints from Rains. I do not like to make a “Look at me! The wet and weird cyclist!” type of scene when I enter a business or a meeting, so I left my house early and looked for a place to park where I could get dry, do a costume change, and get composed before I got down to business.

As I rode up the smooth bike lane on NW Marshall (that PBOT flattened just for bikes on a cobble-stoned street!), I remembered the story I did five years ago about a covered bike parking spot. To my pleasant surprise, this parking area was located just across the street from the coffee place. This gave me a perfect place to re-organize myself and get ready for the meeting. (I also loved having a lockable front bin* to stash my wet rain paints, gloves, and hat instead of bringing it into the meeting.)

Well, I should say, it was almost perfect. Unfortunately it reeked terribly from human pee. The smell reminded me of the controversy around this bike parking area: the building owner initially tried to put it behind a locked gate to protect it from vandals and people trying to sleep there, and to make it for building residents only. Thankfully someone complained about how the gate was a city code violation and it’s now been completely removed so folks like me can find a dry place to park my bike while doing business nearby.

The takeaway: Open and accessible bike parking is always better than putting it behind a gate; and a covered bike parking spot that reeks of piss is still 100 times better than a nice-smelling spot that’s exposed to the rain. Oh, and downtown Portland needs more public restrooms.

Hope you’re doing OK in this cold and wet weather. Hang in there. It will get better!

*Bike is a Riese & Muller Carrie I’m trying out from Splendid Cycles.