Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 09, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife's bike racks aren't up to the task they were designed for, says city councillor Kevin Kennedy.

Kennedy, who also sits on Ecology North's Transportation Issues Committee, an independent body that makes recommendations to council, thinks all of the old-style racks that hold bikes by their wheels should be replaced with the type that support bikes by their frames.

The issue of bike racks came up at the committee's most recent meeting on Monday, held on the pavement outside City Hall.

Fellow councillor and cyclist Paul Falvo, who also sits on the committee, said he has seen bikes fall down from the racks when their owners tried to lock them through their frames.

Doug Ritchie, program director for Ecology North, agreed that "the city needs to put more emphasis on better bike racks."

Kennedy recalled asking members of the Downtown Development Committee why the city chose the racks. He said he was told that "the racks were chosen because they were small, compact and looked nice."

Kennedy advocated bringing the committee's concerns to city council.

"If this committee were to give the city the message about this issue, it might help advance our concerns," said Kennedy.

Gary Tait, manager of Overlander Sports, said he has heard complaints from customers telling him the bike racks do not work well.

"Especially when it comes to new bikes that have specific types of components to secure," said Tait.

"The current bike racks are inadequate. They could be updated to accommodate newer bikes. What they need to come up with is a way to roll your bike between two upright bars effectively so you can lock your frame, not just the tires."

Tait thinks the city should go one step further in helping secure people's bikes.

"There should be more places with inside bike storage, like bike cages," he said. "Bellanca Developments has actually put a bike cage in the parking lot behind the Capitol movie theatre. It's a secure cage that people can put their bikes into. Something like that would definitely promote more people commuting by bike."

Another concern expressed by Kennedy is the amount of time it takes the city to put out the bike racks.

Kennedy complained at city council two weeks ago about the lack of a bike rack outside the City Hall building. Kennedy often gets to city council by bike, as he did that day.

The city promptly installed a rack outside the building, Kennedy said, but has been slow in putting them up throughout the city. Kennedy cites a number of locations -such as the Multiplex, and the sidewalk across from the NorthwesTel downtown building - that still do not have racks.

Dennis Kefalas, manager of public works and engineering with the city, said he has received no complaints from any citizens about the timing of the racks.

He said he estimates the bike racks will be put out "some time in the near future." No other, more specific timeline could be given.

In Tait's view, that's too long a wait for city cyclists.

"That's definitely not soon enough," he said. "People ride year round. And if you need a place to lock them up, you should have (the racks) out sooner."

Having secure bike racks will also help reduce bike theft.

"People here steal bikes to joyride," Kennedy said. "They just grab it, hop on, and then dump it once they've gotten where they want to go.

"I've had two bikes stolen in the last two summers. The sheer number of abandoned bikes here is amazing. I myself picked up three or four that people have left hanging around."

Kennedy has gone one step further to ensure his bike was not stolen.

"My bike isn't purposely new-looking or attractive. I've put stickers on it and scratched up the paint. I haven't put a long of wing accessories on it. I haven't gone out of my way to clean it. I guess you could call it benign neglect."

Tait says this way of deterring theft is common - but not in Yellowknife.

"I have family that lives in New York City, and all the nice bikes have paint that is sanded over and duct tape on them. Haven't seen it too much here, but in larger cities, definitely."