Small Victories: New Bike Parking at Blair High School
When my two boys started at Blair Middle and High School in 2019, one was in 7th grade and the other was in 9th. They bike to school, so after determining the safest route to campus, our next task was to find bike parking. We were pleased to discover the middle school had a nice section of racks in a convenient location.
Unfortunately, no racks existed on the high school campus. For anyone who is not familiar with Blair, the middle school campus is on the east side of Marengo and the high school campus is on the west side. Since many of our biking students use the Marengo bike lane to get to school, the lack of parking on the high school side of campus was not only inconvenient, but also less safe as it forced the high schoolers to cross Marengo (in the midst of the crunch of the morning car line!) in order to get to the middle school campus.
The bike racks at the middle school are plentiful and well used.
I immediately had a chat with the principal to see about getting bike racks on the high school side. Apparently, they were on the to-do list but because the building was brand new they could not be installed at that time. So we waited.
Bikes locked to random fixed objects like sign posts or fencing is a clear indicator that racks are needed.
Then COVID hit and no one went to school at all, no matter the mode of transportation.
In the fall of 2021, in-person school resumed and so did our family’s quest for bike racks. Due to some bureaucratic and supply chain issues, the racks were not purchased in the 2021-22 school year. The high schoolers continued to either park at the middle school and trek over to the other campus on foot, or they locked up to signs in the parking lot.
Finally, this week, three years after discovering the need for bike parking at Blair’s high school campus, the racks were delivered and installed – and immediately put to use! A huge thanks goes to Blair’s new Principal, Amy McGinnis, for acting quickly on the coordination and purchase of these racks. They are in a safe, convenient location right in front of the high school office, and there is room for 20 bikes. In addition to placing the racks in a good location, the type of rack was also really important to us. The inverted u-shape racks are the best option because they support the bikes at two points and they are easy to use with a good quality u-lock, the most secure type of lock. We were pleased that the school was receptive to our recommendations for the type of racks and their placement, both of which are important to encourage daily use and security.
Ten new racks — room for 20 bikes.
In the spirit of “if you build it, they will come” here’s hoping that more students (and staff!) will be encouraged to bike to school by seeing others zip past the car line and park right next to their destination. Nothing would make me happier than finding out we need more racks!
If you would like to see bike racks, or more/better racks at your school, start by contacting the principal. The City can’t install bike racks on school property, so it really has to be done by PUSD. We encourage you to refer your principal to Blair HS as an example of bike racks done right. If you want bike racks installed in the public right of way (i.e. sidewalks) in front of a business or your place of employment, you can request a rack through the City’s Citizen Service Center website, via the smartphone app, or you can call (626) 744-7311. When using the website or app, bike rack requests are under “Public Transportation” or search for “bike parking” when submitting a new request.
