Louisville bike rack
Take a ride to Downtown Lakeland, and you’re not going to find many places to lock up your bike.
There are simple solutions from adding an unobtrusive ring to a few parking meters to replacing parking spaces with bike racks to simply installing a rack in a parking spot.
If the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority would really like to be progressive, they could create a competition for artists to create bike racks. I’ll testify the first racks on Louisville’s Main Street were classy, useful, and added greatly to curb appeal of the buildings.
Another idea for a Lakeland group who wants to raise funds? Instead of decorating a Swan or a Butterfly (both wonderful, artistic ideas), why not decorative bike racks that, once permanently installed, are both attractive and useful?
Downtown has the greatest need, but Dixieland could use a few obviously placed racks. And the Lake Wire Downtown Post Office could use a new rack or two. How about Lakeside Village? Have you seen a rack there?
Where would you like a bike rack?
Bio: The short line? Father, husband, writer. My online presence is primarily through as the editor, writer, and occasional photographer for the news sites, Lakeland Local, a sampling of the news, concerns, and events for Lakeland, Florida, and Metro i4 News, which covers the Interstate 4 corridor in Central Florida. Both sites feature the work of myself and other contributors. As a hobby, I manage a forum and some web sites that feature a pulp fiction series written by Lester Dent -- Doc Savage Organized, Doc Savage Info, and Flearun.
Lorrie
11 months ago
Chuck, you raise a great point. There are so many varieties of bike racks out there these days that truly are works of art. I tend to lock my bike to a light post or tree when I’m downtown, or to poles outside the Lake Wire post office, but an intentional rack is a good idea. You hit all the locations where I’ve always complained about a lack of bike racks. I hope the LDDA reads this.
Dr. James Goetz
11 months ago
I believe I recall at one of the planning and zoning board meetings they discussed this and would recommend it to the City Commission. I have not seen it come up yet on the agenda.
I agree that the direction the city is going that bike racks are becoming a necessity and easily affordable for the downtown area. They too could become pieces of artwork and incorporated into the downtown in a unifying manner which would create a greater sense of pride in our city.
Bike racks: the forgotten transportation infrastructure? – Polk Commission Watch - The Lakeland Ledger - Lakeland, FL - Archive
10 months ago
[...] recent post by Chuck Welch over at Lakeland Local raised a downtown Lakeland issue that’s really a much bigger [...]