ABC works to remove major barrier to bicycling
By Lale Santelices, Program Coordinator
The ABC group has been active in the Hacienda Community for over 3 years. Through a photo voice project and a bike census, they identified barriers to biking in their neighborhood. One of these barriers includes the lack of safe and secure bike storage within their apartment communities. The resident led group engaged property and asset management in the discussions of potential lease rule changes to accommodate bike storage and identified locations for a donation of bike lockers from the City of Portland.
“Seeing how engaged, involved and motivated the ABC resident group has been is encouraging,” notes Tanya Stagray, Hacienda CDC’s Asset Manager. “We are happy to work together to strengthen the management/resident relationship as we add features to our communities which have been requested and will be utilized.”
We sat down with members of ABC to learn more about bike parking and theft in their neighborhood. ABC will be speaking at the upcoming Oregon Active Transportation Summit on Monday, 4/21. Click here for the full agenda.
Why is bike parking important?
Bike theft is big so we need bike parking to keep the bikes in a safe space. We can’t store bikes inside our homes because it is not allowed and there is not enough space. Also, families with small children run the risk of the bikes falling on the kids while they play if they are stored inside.
What will the parking do for the community?
Neighbors will have trust storing their bikes. Having easy and direct access to bikes will motivate people to ride more. Safe bike parking will motivate parents to have bikes for the whole family.
Which bike parking location options did you present to Hacienda and how did you go about choosing the locations?
When scouting the spot for the bike lockers, we looked for a big space that is easily accessible. We searched on all of the Hacienda sites with a focus on Mariposas, Jardines and Clara Vista Townhomes.
Tell us about a time when you (or a family member) had their bike(s) stolen. How common is this in your community?
Bike theft is very common in Hacienda CDC because there is no space to safely store bikes. We hear almost every week of a theft in the community.
Rosaisela Portugal encountered bike theft first hand. Rosaisela had her bikes locked on her dish antenna which was staked on the ground. She thought it was safe but one day, thieves stole her whole family’s bikes and the Dish. “Soy deportista,” (I am a sportswoman) she explains, so it was very hard for her to lose her bikes. It has also been hard for her mobility. Her daughter goes to school several blocks away, and with a bike she was able to pick her daughter up in no time. Now it takes Rosaisela way too long to walk or wait for the bus each day.
What advice do you have for other communities who are interested in getting bike parking installed in their housing community?
If there is another community that would like to advocate for bike parking, they should firstly ask the property manager what is the bike policy and what resources there are available. It is important whenever possible to work with management.
If there are no bike policies in place: 1. Figure out how many people are also interested in accessing safe bike parking; 2. Search for available resources: are there balconies or outdoor closed areas that could be used to store bikes?; 3. Brainstorm ideas and solutions for improving bike parking that are low or no cost; 4. Search grants or interested donors that could support with any costs; 5. Present these ideas to management and ask for feedback; 6. Never give up!
How are you planning on spreading the word to other residents about the bike parking?
ABC wants to create and distribute flyers explaining the bike lockers and also invite neighbors to an inauguration party where they can learn about the bike lockers and host a workshop to teach interested people.