Bicycle Fixation Weblog
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03/27/2011: "Selling Us Short"
Well, a little rain seems easily to confuse the good folks in Santa Monica.The city has run a bike valet service in conjunction with its farmers' market every Sunday for quite a while. I've been there before on wet days when it was still open and crowded with bike, so you can imagine I was a bit dismayed when I arrived there today, after a twelve miles' ride in steady but not heavy rain, to find a row of SUVs parked right in front of the "Bike Parking Only Sundays 7AM to 1PM" sign, and no other sign of the bike valet service.
Though it was still early, a number of cyclists had locked up to parking meters and signposts, as you see. A number mroe had parked behind me or otherwise out of camera range.
Several others were huddled at the information desk, asking where they could park their bikes. And cyclists kept arriving in twos, threes, and fours as I strolled about (pushing my fixie along) taking pictures and eavesdropping.
Really, Santa Monica, give us a little credit! We're not going to let a bit of rain keep us off our wheels.
I hope they learn from their mistake.
Sure, I could see keeping a smaller area clear during the rain. But to let the whole thing, go, when Santa Monica cyclists have come to expect a bit of bike parking when they come to shop?
How many cyclists turned around and took their money home with them today?
Santa Monica, you blew it!
