I recently had reason to visit the St John of God Hospital in Subiaco. It is conveniently located near a bike path, so I assumed that there was going to be bike parking. Just in case, I took my biggest U-lock which would fit comfortably around the light poles I saw last time I was there.
Bike racks near the front entrance of SJOG Subiaco
It turns out there are bike racks right at the entrance. There are 3 U-rails which are connected to a common base plate. Unfortunately they are not bolted down, so susceptible to someone rocking up with a ute, chucking the whole thing in the back, and driving off. Don’t laugh, this happened at Murdoch University in the early 2000s – in an area where vehicle access was much more difficult than it is here!
While I didn’t hesitate to leave the Surly there for the hour or so I would be inside, I would not want to lock an expensive bike there, or even a moderately priced bike on a regular basis, just in case someone scoped it out and then came back for it later.
There were bikes chained to other poles in the immediate vicinity, so I guess I was not the only one concerned about the portability of the bike rack.
SJOG Subiaco actually has publicly available information on the measures it takes to encourage it’s staff to use ‘green’ transport, including public transport, walking and cycling, so I am going to send them an email and ask them to consider securing the bike rack properly.
All in all, SJOG has at least tried to provide bike parking for visitors. There’s always room for improvement though!
Andy in Germany
July 7, 2012 at 5:51 pm
“…I would not want to lock an expensive bike there, or even a moderately priced bike on a regular basis, just in case someone scoped it out and then came back for it later.”
I feel the same way about parking at our metro station, so I pulled a bike off a rubbish pile and used that. Trouble is it turned out to be a genuine Dutch bike of such beauty I’m falling in love with it.
Mind you, I suppose that’s the best of both worlds: a bike I like riding but which no-one else would want to steal…
Ziggy
July 20, 2012 at 2:38 am
Great blog! I came across it while researching lights, and saw your Ay Up review. Thanks – you’ve inspired me to get back on my Giant Cross City after a long period of laziness.