We Can Bike the Locks, but Where Can We Lock Our Bikes?

The Village of Pittsford is already a pretty walkable and bikeable place—one of the big reasons we love living here—but bike parking is seriously lacking around the village. Adding bike parking is such an easy fix to help encourage more people to bike—and to attract people passing through the village to stop, linger, and visit our small local businesses.

We love the rack at the Library—and usually see other bikes there even when the weather’s crummy

Where are the bike racks? The ones that we know about are at the Library, the Spiegel Rec Center, along Schoen Place, and at the Village Bakery—there may be others, if you know about them, let us know in the comments!

But we go so many other places on our bikes around here—the pediatrician, dentists, preschool, the Dairy (LOVE their ice cream and milk!), Pontillo’s, restaurants along Main Street—and we find ourselves searching for something—anything—to secure our bike to while we’re away. Most of the time we end up locking our wheel to our bike frame and hoping for the best. Sometimes we find a bench (something I’m sure pedestrians in the village don’t love).

We love our local businesses and will continue to shop there regardless, but nearby secure bike parking would be a great amenity that we’d love to see when we visit!

For instance, we’d love some bike parking in the office complex behind 59 Monroe Ave.

And behind 20 N Main St—where we locked to a post in a parking space but the lock could easily just be lifted up over the top by a strong person or two.

A bike rack near one of our favorite spots in the village would be an added treat!

And sure, Pittsford’s a pretty safe place, but anyone who’s had it happen to them knows the sinking feeling you get when you come back to your bike to find it (or a part of it) missing. It’s simply something a biker shouldn’t have to worry about.

The Active Transportation Planning effort underway right now has made note of the lack of bike parking in the village. Pittsford has an opportunity to be one of the first municipalities in the area to include bike support (anything from bike racks to bike lockers or other facilities) in its development and zoning guidelines. Exciting stuff for anyone who values a liveable, walkable environment with an active street-life!

So let’s help decide where bike parking is needed—personally, we’d love something near:

• Four Corners of Main/Monroe/State

• Pittsford Dairy

• Adjacent to our many churches

• Parking lot behind 20 N Main St

• Office complex behind 59 Monroe Ave

An innovative bike rack taking up one parking space outside a popular breakfast spot in Cambridge, MA. How cool would this be somewhere? Photo by author.

Where would you like to see bike parking in the Village and the surrounding area?

Leave us a comment and we’ll make sure to pass your suggestions along to the village and town!

Some fancy new bike racks that artists created in The Triangle area of North Winton Village. Photo courtesy of Reconnect Rochester.

A simple Google search for bike parking or bike racks will show—there are ALL kinds of designs to choose from for bike parking solutions from whimsical bike racks to legit bike parking giving equal protection and space as you might see given to an automobile. The options are endless for us, but creating additional bike parking in the village is needed to help make us an even more bikeable place.