More Bicycle Racks We Don't Need or Want

Several years ago at a Common Council meeting, before there were any bicycle racks in downtown Hudson, I asked DPW Superintendent Robert Perry why there were no bicycle racks to be had.  He responded that it would be a bad idea because "they will just get vandalized."  About 8 months later, two bicycle racks appeared, thanks to the Rotary Club.  They bought the racks for the city, then DPW installed one in the 7th Street Park and one in the 500 block of Warren Street pocket park.

The rack in the pocket park is still very firmly attached to the ground, and it often gets used by cyclists.  However, the rack in the 7th Street Park, placed in a poorly chosen spot, has not been securely attached to the asphalt path for over a year.  3 of the 4 brackets on the base of the rack have come off, so anyone with the urge to vandalize the rack could easily do so.  It could be flung into the street by anyone within about 20 seconds.  The rack itself is also coming apart (notice how it is leaning) from a lack of simple bolt tightening by DPW.  You see where Robert Perry's priorities are in terms of bicycle infrastructure?  He does not give a crap.  It's like he would prefer the rack to be vandalized so that he can say "I told you so."

Then today, I noticed two more bicycle racks recently installed in the southeast corner of the 7th Street Park.  Both of the racks are secured to the ground with some sort of screws.  Who the hell installs two bicycle racks, one on the grass next to a large tree and one on the dirt, in a public park when there is already one in the park that rarely gets used?  Was it Katherine Kanaga at Friends of the Public Square (FOPS)?  Maybe the coffee shop across the street? Is there really a demand for the two racks?  Who got the permission for the racks and who installed them?  Is Robert Perry happy to see them where they are located?  Does he care?  So many questions.

Great idea if you want to
prevent grass from growing!

Great idea if you want to kill the grass
and turn the area into dirt instead!

These new poorly considered bicycle racks remind me of the stupidest, most hilarious mistake I have ever seen made in Hudson. Our friends at Galvan, in their infinite wisdom and cluelessness, decided to install a bicycle rack in front of their Armory building on June 16th, 2017, directly in the middle of the narrow sidewalk. Holes were drilled in the sidewalk; the rack was placed in the holes; and concrete was poured in to secure the rack. The worker was putting the finishing touches on the installed rack when I rolled up on my two wheels. It was a surreal moment, like you really believe you must be in a dream because what you are seeing cannot possibly be happening.  "There's no way..."

I asked the worker what on earth he was doing putting the rack in the middle of the sidewalk.  "What?" he asked.  "They told me to put it here."   DPW and Code Enforcement were notified immediately, and the rack was removed within an hour or two.  You can still see where the holes in the middle of the sidewalk were covered up. 

I'm thinking that the new bicycle racks in the 7th Street Park might also warrant a phone call and/or email.

Robert Perry's phone number is 518-828-9458

FOPS is at fopshudson@gmail.com

Thanks to Carole at Gossips for access to my old pictures!  (Her posting about the ridiculous incident at the Armory is titled "What Are Sidewalks For?" published on the date noted above)