Racks and Hard Places; The Archer Road Tour, Part 2

Continuing East on the South side of Archer Road

A suitable rack at campus Outfitters

Campus Outfitters
The building currently housing Campus Outfitters has been an eatery in the past. Maybe a Gator clothing outlet will survive.

The rack here is sturdy and visible to traffic, but not readily visible if one is shopping. Still, it provides adequate security for an employee.





 
Sonny's
It's a local institution and very popular, but Sonny's provides no bicycle specific security. There are flyparking options and high traffic probably makes this a relatively secure place despite not being able to see your bike from inside. They have racks and half racks to feed you, but no racks to secure your ride

Sonny's will sell you a rack, but provide riders with none!

Chick-fil-a's rack is commonly in use

Chick-fil-a
The rack at Chick-fil-a is almost always in use and this creates some problems because of its size, placement and design. Larger bikes and those with fenders do not easily fit in the designated slots and large bike can create an obstacle for a car using the adjacent parking place. The nut and bolt construction of the rack is a lesser problem here because of the high visibility and traffic. Except for the lack of space, parking here is quite secure.

Nut and Bolt Rack

Easy to see your ride at Chick-fil-a

 









Willy's Mexican Grill
Newly arrived Willy's meets many of the standards I set for secure bike parking. The rack is sturdy, set in concrete and permits easy locking of front and rear. Ideally there would be two racks set at a right angle to the current single and providing more space. Yet, even using the rack in the typical manner (meaning parking the bike perpendicularly to the rack) security is good becasue of visibility from within. The only time when a parked bike is out of sight is upon entering and ordering.

Easy to watch your bike at Willy's

Bikes are readily visible outside Willy's

Wave style Rack at Willy's

A word here about rack design and position. Wave style racks are cost effective and simple to install. (see The Art of Bike Parking) To effect two point parking a multi-bike rack becomes much less efficient. The racks provided outside The Pita Pit and behind Brass Tap encourage multiple bike parking and make two point locking possible simultaneously. Choosing the best rack and placing it effectively requires more than casual thought if it is going to promote bike security.

Wendy's
Sharing a parking lot with Willy's, the rebuilt Wendy's also shares the same bike security perspective. Their wave style rack is readily visible from within. Wendy's and nearby Willy's offer some of the most secure parking available on Archer Road.

Parking much like Willy's

The view from inside Wendy's