New corporate-sponsored racks in the Pearl
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor-in-Chief) on October 8th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Thanks to a partnership between Kryptonite and the City of Portland, bike parking just got a lot easier for students at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Last Friday, work crews installed 9 staple racks (that’s room for about 18 bikes), in what was formerly one car parking spot. The new racks are directly adjacent to the entrance to the school’s main building at NW 13th and Johnson in the Pearl District.
According to PDOT’s Linda Ginenthal, the racks are the result of “a collaboration” between the city and Kryptonite. She says Kryptonite approached them wanting to fund a project (likely as part of their ongoing Portland-centric marketing efforts) and these bike parking “corrals” are what they came up with.
The racks are black with a yellow section that is emblazoned with the Kryptonite wordmark.
Ginenthal says Kryptonite paid for the racks (standard, blue staple racks cost $60 each) and PDOT paid for the installation.
A similar corral, also funded by Kryptonite, is expected to be installed a few blocks south of this one at 539 NW 13th (in front of Acorn Cafe).
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October 8th, 2007 13:10
Great. As has been noted repeatedly here and elsewhere, bike facilities on the west side of the river are sorely lacking. Some relatively non-intrusive corporate sponsorship seems a small price to pay in order to get good quality bike parking over here.
A few more west side locations in real need of more bike parking: in front of the Stumptown on SW 3rd, the Ace Hotel on SW 11th and Stark, and just about anywhere on NW 21st and NW 23rd. How many more of these are being planned?
October 8th, 2007 13:15
One less car, eighteen more bikes. Thank you Kryptonite.
October 8th, 2007 13:24
I go to school at PNCA and had no idea they had this planned. They where installing the racks Friday morning when I got to school. They keep adding bike parking here and we keep filling it up, I was so excited!
October 8th, 2007 13:49
wow, nice. and maybe very nice for kryptonite. i am not sure about you guys, but the idea of spending $540 for *permanent*, high-visibility brand marketing in front of a prominent art school seems like a pretty sweet deal for a corporation.
of course, maybe its not permanent. perhaps the partnership expires after a year. (can of black spray paint.)
seriously though, i would help chip in to make $540 for 9 racks that say "bikeportland.org" on them to go somewhere, no??? cool!!
October 8th, 2007 13:51
many thanks to Kryptonite, and to all the bikin' PNCA students & staff who made this necessary!
October 8th, 2007 14:00
xb: brilliant.
Jonathan: if this is realistic, could you arrange a few potential locations with Ms. Ginenthal, then set up Paypal donation links for each? When each of those locations achieved $540 in donations, the money could be passed on to PDOT and BikePortland.org bike racks start sprouting up around town, in place of car spaces.
The city's drastically underspending on bikes as it is, but putting some of our own money up would help to demonstrate the desire for more facilities. And it'd drive more traffic to this site, helping with your paid ad numbers.
October 8th, 2007 14:01
This is great first step...though when I saw them working on the school's fresh facade and parking lot work - I was sad to see that the school did not cover the bike parking. These spaces after all are long term spaces for students (and staff).
October 8th, 2007 14:08
Can't wait to check these out when I go to class tomorrow. Awesome & much needed addition to PNCA. Cheers!
October 8th, 2007 14:53
How is it that all the new construction in the Pearl District has not produced a lot of new bike parking. According to PDOT's downtown bikemap, there just is not much north of Burnside. How come?
October 8th, 2007 14:57
Can other people "collaborate" with PDOT and get bike racks put in at $60/rack?
October 8th, 2007 15:02
It would be nice to get some covered parking at school. Some of the problems with past long term idea involving city owned space haven't worked but now that they took out a parking space maybe they would be open to a creative covering.
October 8th, 2007 15:04
Yea that is a good question. I paid however much to get one of those bricks with my name on it in Pioneer Square, I would certainly drop $60 per bike rack (which is a better cause IMO).
October 8th, 2007 15:07
"and get bike racks put in at $60/rack?"
I'd have to chat with PDOT to find out the specifics and potential of others doing this sort of thing. Also, keep in mind that the $60 figure is the cost of one, blue staple rack. It's at least that much to pay for the labor to install it, and then there's an added expense of custom paint jobs, etc... I don't know the actual, per rack cost in this case.
October 8th, 2007 16:11
Finally, funtional corporate art.
Perhaps they should do the same in front of Rocco's for the mini-bikes and spend $9460 on a giant jock strap for the scrotum accross the street.
October 8th, 2007 16:35
I'm very encouraged by this partnership. I do know that the demand for bike parking and bike corrals exceeds our ability to get them in fast enough. We here at PDOT are working on ways to better meet some of that demand.
And I just love that we are finally at a place where the bike racks and facilities we are putting in are not just to encourage more people to get out there on their bikes but to respond to the ever increasing biking population - keep it up.
October 8th, 2007 19:53
Here's a question: How can I get a bike rack installed in front of my house? Just a single staple, sunk into the grassy strip between the sidewalk and the street, to acommodate the many bicycle riders who visit me.
Is there a way to obtaiin these "staple" racks privately? Would I get busted for installing one myself?
October 8th, 2007 19:58
Not an answer to your question, but a staple sunk into grass wouldn't be very secure.
October 8th, 2007 20:38
I've seen staple racks in residential locations before (NE 28th & Flanders, NE corner of intersection) but, yes, grass might not be the way to go.
What about a bike corral/oasis on my block?
How feasible is that?
A staple rack on the curb might work if it was located in the middle of two marked auto spaces...
Covered parking is really the way to go, though. It just says to the cyclist, "thank you for riding in the rain/have a dry place to rest while you lock up and get ready for your day." Y'know?
October 8th, 2007 21:20
It wasn't Kryptonite partnering with PNCA? Was that parking space on public or private property? Maybe someone from PDOT can correct me, but I thought that PDOT didn't install bike racks on private property.
If that former car-parking space is on public property, then that would explain some things. But with a $200k account balance in the public bike parking fund (or so I've heard) why solicit $540 for advertising? If anything, shouldn't it be PNCA who would help the city with costs to expand bike parking near their campus? And heck, I bet the students there could come up with some much prettier designs than the Kryptonite logo!
Don't get me wrong, I love to see new bike parking. I just get nervous when I see the commodification of public assets.
October 8th, 2007 23:06
I wholly agree with Elliot, and I can hardly believe that you are the first person to say it! I'm very concerned with the encroachment of advertising into our daily lives in small ways like bike racks, bathroom stall billboards, stickers on fruit, etc... It's great that there's more bike parking, but at what cost? Why must our environment be constantly filled with advertising?
October 9th, 2007 00:43
The kryptonite conditioning part of the bike racks is not the worst I was prepared to see on this project. If I'd been on the project team, I might have argued for something more subtle; smaller font size, a less bright background color, or something like that. Little details like that are worth lots of money to business, so, conversely, they're bargaining chips for people interested in a livable environment.
I'm happy for those that are glad to hitch their bikes up to a Kryptonite bike rack, but hope that because of those racks and their name brand prominance, many more people will begin a renewed consideration of what exactly is going on with those kinds of racks.
October 9th, 2007 09:29
maybe (# 11) they can get a company to put up a covering in the shape of a billboard
October 9th, 2007 09:48
Lennie (#9) --- the city bike parking map i think you're refering to shows only covered, publicly-accessible bike parking - most of the bike parking shown on the map is in (public) auto parking garages -- there's relatively few of these north of Burnside, hence the relative lack of covered bike parking compared to south of Burnside.
October 9th, 2007 09:55
Speaking of bike parking:
The bike racks at Bridgeport Village and their "annex" across the street are horrible! Well, ok, the ones in the parking garage are the nice staple racks (which I didn't even know about until I drove through there the other day), but the rest of them are a)not attached to anything and b) useless. The ones over at the "annex" look like post pounders, and the new ones they've installed recently are right up against a building, meaning you can maybe get one bike on each.
I don't even know who to contact about it; my other attempts at communication with BV's management were, shall we say, less than stellar. They have a problem with getting back to people, or taking action.
I know, we're not City of Portland, but there are a lot of cyclists who aren't in the City... :) Just the surrounding areas. :)
October 9th, 2007 11:31
Kristen, a quick look at the Tualatin city code (that's where Bridgeport Pillage is, right?) ---
http://www.ci.tualatin.or.us/departments/legal/MunicipalCode.cfm
--- failed to turn up any bike parking requirements. You might call the city and check to see for sure.
Portland requires bike parking for developments like this, and you could call in the Code Compliance folks to write vaguely threatening bureaucratic letters if the racks were substandard or otherwise didn't meet the code.
good luck with your quest!
October 9th, 2007 12:31
if it takes a little advertising to get more visibility and usability for bikes as day-today transportation in this city, i say bring it on. advertising rules! it's everywhere! so what? and yes, i would steer myself towards a krypto lock next time i need one for their even considering supporting an effort like this.
(see, kryptonite? how's that for R.O.I.?) way to go all around.
October 9th, 2007 15:00
THINK LOCAL FIRST
I'm sorry, but it just makes me sick that the inexpensive sponsorship of such a facility was given away to A LARGE CORPORATION - Kryptonite or any other - and PDOT even paid for installation???
We at the Belmont Area Business Association have not rec'd a bill yet for the the bike corrals on Belmont - maybe PDOT is picking up the installation tab? That would be really good - as this is a PUBLIC facility for everyone to use, with NO ADVERTISING.
THINK LOCAL FIRST
PDOT needs to show some respect for local business districts by engaging them in the process ...
Local businesses should have first right of refusal for such facilities.
THINK LOCAL FIRST
October 9th, 2007 15:24
With Krypto's logo and colors, even a roof installed by PDOT can't hide it. Krypto gave only what they had to.
October 9th, 2007 16:55
Hi,
What company makes these at 60$?
Is it Saris?
I'm really interested in having something similar done here.
Thanks!
October 9th, 2007 20:41
I agree with a few of the bloggers here. I cant believe PDOT gave in to large corporate sponsorship. It was a PUNY investment leaving the city to fund the lion's share. If Kryptonite is allowed to have advertising why are other businesses or individuals not allowed the same? Bill Stites, "think local" is right. Where is our local govt sticking up for our local businesses or individuals when we dont want to see our streets cluttered with HUGE corporate advertisements? Remember folks, Ingersol Rand owns Kryptonite, they are not some small feel-good bike passionate company. They dont care about this community, they care about the dirt cheap advertising they got. Its HUGE PR dollars at work and didnt we just shamefully fall for it...? Im sorry, but Im not willing to sell myself or my city for the cost of a measly bike rack. Everyone needs to realize there is a well funded program that pays for these projects and the cost of a rack is small compared to the installation, which I will say once again, we had to pay for anyhow.
If you want parking in a particular area get involved in local politics and contact who you need to in order to have it done!
October 9th, 2007 20:52
somebody DOES need to take black spray paint to these racks. Strike back at the large corporate JA's. We dont want corporate GMO processed food, we dont want corporate fertilizers and pesticides killing our land and people, we dont want your large legal team that fights and lies against our own good, we dont want your corporate pollution, we dont want your slave labor and we certainly dont want your large corporate advertising, PR campaigns and slick lies defacing our beautiful city!
October 9th, 2007 21:04
Would be nice to get new bike racks for my chids school on 72nd Flavel ST; the School bike rack at this School looks like the same bike rack that was put in when the School was bulid, Im gessing in 1950'S
DEBE
October 9th, 2007 22:00
i see a lot of people questioning the motives and costs etc, re: kryptonite getting what seems like a deal. (i mentioned this in comment #3, but i was trying to only allude to it, cuz i didnt want to seem negative. however, i definitely fall into the suspicious/grumbling category on this subject.)
jonathan suggests that "It's at least that much to pay for the labor to install it, and then there's an added expense of custom paint jobs, etc... ", but the article clearly states that PDOT installed them.
the question to PDOT is, what make kryptonite so special? perhaps a local, not-for-profit could have staples installed with labor courtesy of PDOT? i suspect, however, the biggest factor in this equation is location. they may very likely say "sure... where do you want them?"
speaking of having them installed, i have personal experience with having the city install them on a sidewalk in front of a business. basically you call the city and they try to fit you in asap. bingo. easy. "free". i have no idea about non-commercial.
i am not sure making the distinction between public/private is the right way to go. there are lots of fuzzy laws (or maybe un-fuzzy but non-intuitive!) about what is private and what is public. commercial buildings own the property the sidewalk is on in most cases, just like a residential house would. but the sidewalk is public. the fact that a bike staple goes there has more to with whether its commercial or residential, i believe.
October 10th, 2007 06:22
Hi gang - as usual, there is a lot of passion here in Portland, which is why we love this city so much!
Bill (#30) - you are correct in saying that we are owned by a big corporation, but you are so wrong about us not being "a bike passionate company" that doesn't care about your community. Our passion for bikes is what founded this company and hasn't been lost one iota throughout the years, even when we were acquired. We're the same people and we ride, daily. As for your commmunity specifically, we could have picked any city to place these racks, but we chose Portland because we love it so much - our traveling team has always highly coveted the Portland trips because they all love it there so much. We realize that cyclists in your community need racks the most and will use them the most. We're trying to help local cyclists and are sorry if we fell short in your eyes.
As to the questions many of you have of why the city paid for installation...a good one. We offered to have the racks installed but the city wanted to do it themselves. We wanted the racks and installation to be no cost to the city.
Regardless of your feelings of what the racks say, we hope they are used every day by Kirsty, Robin, Bikieboy and other cyclists who would otherwise not have place to leave their bikes.
Happy Fall and safe riding y'all.
Donna
Kryptonite
October 10th, 2007 08:02
Donna, let's get real here: You were trying to generate sales, not help local cyclists. You chose Portland because you see the market potential, not because your employees love it so much.
Corporations are not charities and they are not allowed to give away shareholders' profits unless there are some pretty specific circumstances (e.g., a 503c org) that don't exist here. This is about making money through marketing. Please don't insult the readers' intelligence. Thanks.
And while you're at it, why don't you clarify for us Portlanders whether *we* paid for installation of your ads or you did?
October 10th, 2007 09:08
It not like the legal profession ever got fat off the corporate teet, lured clients to overpriced services via cheesy marketing, and donates nearly all of its billable hours in the name of fair and equal access to justice for all.
Right a.O.?
Thanks Donna. I've seen the racks as they are a block from my work and are not a glaring ad for Kryptonite. The added benefit is that the sidewalks are more passable since the students are not forced to lock their bikes to any immobile object they can find. (gas mains, electric meters, street signs, etc.)
October 10th, 2007 09:29
It would be a great idea to spray paint over those logos, that way we can ensure that no other bike company will want to improve things for bikes here.
If Kryptonite chose Portland for our market potential is that so bad? It is flattering and shows how many people bike here . Of course they hope to generate sales from this - what else is a business for? So what?
We are lucky that a company like Kryptonite stepped up and helped put in some bike racks. Nobody else has (including those mythic do-gooder non-profits). So Kryptonite has a little logo on them, well BFD. If you don't like it don't look at it. Or maybe your will is so weak that you can't help but to buy everything that you see advertised.
And riddle me this: how many companies make a better lock than Kryptonite? I'll bet more people in Portland have one than any other brand. Unless some local frame builders start making steel-is-real locks that can compete, then that's probably what most people will stick with.
Strike back at the companies, don't let them advertise, blah blah blah. How many chips on your shoulder do you need?
October 10th, 2007 09:32
Nelson, I'm not sure why legal ethics are relevant here, unless you're making a personal attack on me. But I'm sure you wouldn't do that. Right, Nelson?
Anyway, please see:
http://www.osbar.org/_docs/rulesregs/orpc.pdf
for detailed information applicable to Oregon lawyers regarding fiduciary obligations to clients, restrictions on marketing legal services and on fees, pro bono obligations, and the responsibility of truthfulness to others. Then maybe you'll have some idea of what you're talking about. Thanks.
October 10th, 2007 09:35
"Of course they hope to generate sales from this - what else is a business for? So what?"
Well, don't get me wrong: It's a big fat "So what?" for me too. All I'm asking is that we don't get sunshine blown up our a** by Donna on this all day. The employees may indeed love Portland and want to help local cyclists, but that's not *why* the corporation made this decision.
A little honesty is all I'm asking for. And I'm pretty sure Jonathan wants people to pay for the ads placed on bikeportland, rather than have them appear in the posts.
October 10th, 2007 09:41
"And I'm pretty sure Jonathan wants people to pay for the ads placed on bikeportland, rather than have them appear in the posts."
a.O,
you're right, I do like for people to pay for ads...and if I didn't know Donna I would probably be more skeptical.
However, I've known Donna for a long time and you have to realize her tone is more a function of her personality and love for her job, than any sinister marketing ploy.
Does that mean she gets a free pass just because I know her? Not at all..I'm just trying to share what I know about her in hopes it gives you more context for how she comments.
October 10th, 2007 09:50
It is an interesting discussion since the paris bike rental system as well as some others are basically being paid for by advertising. Frankly the company logo on the rack is far less intrusive into the public space than a huge 3 foot by 5 foot billboard at one end of the rack. Perhaps the city will take a cue from these low visual impact ad spaces when selecting the bike rental vendor.
Bjorn
October 10th, 2007 09:54
I agree Bjorn (#41), it will be interesting to see how advertising plays into the upcoming bike-sharing system plans.
I know that at the outset, Adams said he would not allow lots of advertising on the kiosks and the bikes.
I don't know if he will really stick to that, or if he said it before he knew how the systems worked, but we'll soon find out.
October 10th, 2007 09:57
Just a quick note on my experience on staple racks from the city. A few years ago at my dougther preschool located in the basement of a church we were looking for something to lock our bikes to, so I called the number that is on the racks around the city and I got 2 free racks to install myself. If I recall if you need to install on the sidewalk it is a bit different. It was very easy and free.
For what concern this racks I think it is great the city is getting some help from the companies that benefit from having the rack installed.
Good job.
Paolo
October 10th, 2007 10:22
I find it amusing when those in a highly lucrative trade where many make huge sums of money defending or advocating for mega-corporations (guns don't kill, people do!, cigarettes are not addictive but people with addictive personalities tend to smoke cigarettes!, global warming is a hoax and most certainly not caused by the activities my client's industries!) see something wrong or dishonest about a small donation of bike racks. Kryptonite's donation is not completely altruistic but I highly doubt that it will cause any harm - unless you feel that the common bike riding citizen is easily controlled via advertising?
Thanks for the link to the bar's marketing message (We're lawyers - trust us!) While most lawyers are decent hardworking individuals, there are still loads of ambulance chasers, corporate shills, and lobbyists warping and bending the law to allow shady people to engage in sketchy activities that pose more danger to society than a handful of branded bike racks.
October 10th, 2007 10:40
Obvioiusly you didn't read the link if you think it was a "marketing message." So, you're still clueless, only now it's willful ignorance.
October 10th, 2007 11:06
You posted a link of rules and regs designed to convince me that members of the Oregon Bar are held to the highest standards of conduct blah, blah, blah...it's still essentially a marketing tool since you use it to convey how trustworthy your profession is. Nearly every message in the public domain is marketing. A politician's promise, a pick-up line in a bar, the logo on a shop's door, a public announcement of a job site's safety record - all some form of marketing. This blog is essentially free form advertisement for bicycling since we are selling ideas, POVs, or advocating for cycling related things. (Psst...Jonathan also allows conventional ads too.)
Like it or not, we are all in sales to some degree.
October 10th, 2007 11:13
I'm excited about these racks. The way I see it, the City's partnership with Kryptonite is just the low-hanging-fruit -- when other companies see how well such installations work, both as advertising and as a way to contribute positively to the community, there will be increased competition for partnerships on projects like this one. More competition means that we will be able to be choosier, and get more bang for the buck.
Like Bill, I'd love to see some local companies step up to the plate next. It seems like on-street bike corrals are a pretty perfect project -- they're relatively affordable, nothing if not local, badly needed, and high-visibility. As a project, they're equally available to grassroots groups and large companies.
It seems like it takes a little lobbying work to get one approved, though, so y'all might want to start working on yours now.
October 10th, 2007 12:00
Aha. I see here:
http://clevercycles.com/?p=202
that Clever Cycles, a pretty darn local business if I ever saw one, is working with the city on installing some on-street bike parking. Maybe even on Hawthorne? Say it's true!
Seriously, as more of these bike corrals are made, the process is going to get a lot easier and a lot more mainstream. Why not invite everyone into it? Would you exclude, say, Chris King, because their business is "too big" or they're "only doing it for advertising." Come on.
October 10th, 2007 12:44
Elly,
the point to be made is that this is a free service and easily available (corrals appear to be a bigger undertaking vs the staples, but thats not what we're talking about here). So, if racks are so cheap, if there is plenty of money within the program and the main expense is still paid by tax payers, why did PDOT have to include corporate advertising??? It just doesnt make sense to offer up advertising to a HUGE non-native corporation on our local public property.
I dont care how passionate Donna is about her job or how she justifies who she works for, she still works for Ingersol Rand and I dont care to support them. This is a PR campaign and I agree with a.O that she was a bit disengenuous by describing it differently. Just seems to me like she's gotten comfortable with the PR tactics her parent company is able to afford her.
October 10th, 2007 14:15
Donna, let's get real here: You were trying to generate sales, not help local cyclists.
Because it's a zero-sum world, eh?
October 10th, 2007 14:38
A zero-sum world? No. I think they're pretty clearly doing both here. But Donna has twice here (that I know of) asserted the Kryptonite acted for the latter reason. That's obviously not the whole story.
I'm willing to give Donna the benefit of the doubt, helped in part by Jonathan's statement, and believe she does care about our community and sincerely wants to help local cyclists. But corporations are legally prevented from acting as eleemosynary organizations, so that can't be the whole story. I'm not anti-corporate, but I am pro-honesty.
October 10th, 2007 14:54
Me too.
October 10th, 2007 15:50
As much as I don't like the idea of advertising or branding of these racks by Kryptonite, I think that is a side issue and I'd like to explore the bigger questions of why the Pearl District overall remains deficient in bike parking, and what is being done about it, and why there is no short term bike parking available to the public at the Portland Building, where PDOT's offices are.
October 10th, 2007 20:11
This discussion cracks me up.
There are so many products and services people want the State to provide, but they don't want to pay for them via increased taxes or user fees. Well then, advertising (often from the evil Corporation, oh my) can step in and help provide some of those things because the advertiser in turn might make money due to increased sales (oh no, say it ain't so - again, more EVIL).
Do you want your tax dollars funding every stadium and bike rack, or occasionally private sources that can do so because they have a good product and make money selling that product?
October 10th, 2007 21:42
Schrauf,
dont lump me into your group of people you say are whiners or unwilling to pay increased taxes. I support tax revenues for great causes, I just have a hard time paying taxes to fund a given war (we wont get into that...).
Ok, in case you didnt hear time and time again, money is set aside for this project and its a free and easy system.
We didnt have to bring in a non-native corp to supply a measly sum of racks we already have the funds for. There isnt a issue of funding here! If there are areas where there is lack of racks Id have to imagine its because people havent requested them. I have had three business storefronts myself within the Portland city limits and it was NEVER a problem getting the city to take care of bike racks. We just had to request them.
You can get a lot of things for free, do we always need them? You can even get more things for free if youre willing to put a corporate label on your forhead. I dont want things for free and only part of the reason why is because something is always expected in return. I dont have a problem working hard for the things I get in life, I dont require much in the way of material things, I dont expect everything to come to me at a discount and I like to take care of other individuals within our community so we all can thrive. Its about leaving business and the corporate mindset out of our lives for just a few precious moments. Do we always have to be bought and sold?
Youre going to pay for the rack either way. Whether its the city sponsored program or the write-off that Kryptonite sticks back to the tax payer.
The complacent mind looks the opposite way til one day they wake up and realize what happened while they were looking the opposite direction. Its hard to change things then.
October 10th, 2007 23:09
"The business of America is busines" Calvin Coolidge.
Many of you have probably heard that quote ad nauseum, but it seems timely to consider it as this discussion continues on. Business is a fundamental part of the american way of life. This country is not a collective or a commune.
It's an undeniable fact that when business demonstrates largess, its intentions are not entirely altruistic. The Rockefeller's, Carnegie's, Bill Gates and McDonald's, on a general principle, make the kind of donation to the public that Kryptonite has done with the bike racks.
That donations are made by these entities is not necessarily bad. I just think it's always important to be aware of what they carry with them in trying to understand the full implications of what those particular kinds of donations represent.
October 10th, 2007 23:46
BURR (#53) said:
"and why there is no short term bike parking available to the public at the Portland Building, where PDOT's offices are"
No parking? I seem to recall a bunch of staple racks right outside the Portland Building on the sidewalk within the building's footprint. (outside the cafe or whatever it is, on the SW 5th & Main corner of the building) Is that not public? It's even covered.
October 10th, 2007 23:49
Or am I mis-remembering where that parking is?
October 11th, 2007 08:01
Bill #55 - Do I know you? I'm not lumping you in with anything. But you appear sensitive to the issue. Obviously my post on this blog was not a personal statement directed to every single person who reads it.
So you can call the City and they install a rack? Great, as long as demand stays as budgeted and there are enough tax dollars to pay for it. If demand increases, there won't be enough money, at least until after the lengthy process of planning and meeting and reallocating funds from other services (if that ever happens). The rack isn't FREE just because you can call a phone number and it appears.
And of course many tax dollars in general could be better spent. That is not the point in this discussion because it will always be the case to some extent. Usually to a very large extent. That is an entirely different debate.
And what is it with advertising that makes people fly out of their panties? If the racks had the name of the rack manufacturer displayed, in place of Kryptonite, would that be okay? That's advertising as well. Do you cover or tear off every name and logo on your bike and/or car because you feel so assaulted by this evil advertising? What about your clothes? You must have a lot of patches to cover up all those names.
Again, we are talking about a label on a product, not a giant billboard whose sole purpose is to be as visible and annoying as possible.
October 11th, 2007 11:26
Schrauf, I doubt that it's really necessary to explain to you the potential problems many people see with the kind of very big corporate structure that is associated with Kryptonite, the 'bike-friendly, community supportive, etc., etc.' bike lock manufacturer. At least, it shouldn't be, as your writing suggests that you should be sufficiently intelligent to understand this, and most likely, already do.
Big corporations hold the power to affect change far and wide, in ways that past experience have shown to sometimes not be so pretty. Everyone should be wary of their generosity.
October 11th, 2007 11:34
Matt #57. There are a bunch of old Rack III's that are rusting out under the Portland building's loggia, those are considered long-term commuter parking and are usually full. The one lonely staple rack out on the curb was removed for the light rail construction, so there is currently no short term parking available at the Portland building. I was thinking that they should move some of those staple racks that they recently installed on the 4th Avenue side of city hall (and are completely underutilized)over to the 5th ave side of the Portland building, where they would be much more likely to be used.
October 11th, 2007 16:50
wsbob #60 - I agree large corporations need to be watched closely because of the greater power and potential for social damage they possess. I just don't assume a corporation is bad, solely because it is a large entity, until it proves otherwise. And to me trying to make money, in itself, is not evil. Every local business is doing the same thing.
If Kryptonite or its parent corporation has a questionable history, then by all means I am less likely to support them or their advertising. They seemed to have handled the pen/lock recall fine, from what I remember.
I WILL say that it would be nice if the City offered local entities (small and large) advertising opportunities before nonlocal, but Kryponite was proactive and approached the City first. Local businesses are free to do that as well.
October 11th, 2007 18:42
This is an old topic, but arguably, Kryptonite did not handle the pen/lock recall fine as I see it. All locks produced by their company, capable of being unlocked by way of the Bic Pen, were not subject to replacement by Kryptonite beyond that company's self established 1 year replacement period.
Personally, I don't know much about Kryptonite's parent company Ingersoll Rand's doings, but some people do, and also apparently consider those doings to make Kryptonite's participation in the community something to seriously question. That's enough to make me wary.
I think you're right though about why Kryptonite got to take this role in having the bike racks installed. Anybody could have done it had they came forward with the donation. It's not an impossible sum of money for an organized local group to produce. Kryptonite saw the opportunity and stepped up to the plate. Grand Slam for them.
November 19th, 2007 12:25
[...] had ribbon-cuttings in Portland, OR (though some of the grumpier folks are grousing about it at BikePortland.org) as well as a Chicago [...]