Friday, September 26, 2008

New "secure" bike parking at Alewife


On this rainy rainy day, I took the girls to school in the Christiania, then parked at Alewife and took the T into town. I parked in the brand new "secure" bike parking cage. It's very nicely designed and spacious inside. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to fit through the door with my doublewide trike, but the door was more than wide enough. There was also nice spot at the back that was just right for me.


But just how secure it is, I'm not really sure. Access can only be gained with a special Bike Charlie Card. Good, right? But it turns out that they'll give them out to anybody, and they don't keep track in any way. So after I got my card today, I could just as well have pillaged all the bikes in there instead of leaving my own.


It does actually seem more secure, though. Maybe its the sense of enclosure, the video cameras and signs, or maybe it's just the newness of it all. One way or the other, I felt pretty good about leaving the trike in there, and I've never left it at Alewife before. I also left my drippy waterproof trousers there to dry.


It was interesting to see that there were still far more bikes parked at the regular exposed racks than inside the enclosure, though maybe that will change as the word spreads.

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