For One Lucky Lubbock Business: Be More Bike Friendly for $45

[By the way, traffic congestion in Lubbock is a very real problem. Fewer cars would be very helpful. More bikes could mean fewer cars. It's that solution to vicious cycle thing.]

I commute on a bike and I often run errands on a bike. To lock a bike up in Lubbock, you gotta get creative.

I literally hug a tree each day I bike commute. (But it's not a mesquite.)

 

At work, I chain my bike to a tree. I have a self-recoiling cable that I wrap around the tree and slip through the frame and the rear wheel. It often slips from my grip and makes me a great candidate for America's Funniest Home Videos or Lubbock's Dorkiest Cyclist. I don't love the idea of picking on a tree that way (although the hugs are nice), but my other two options are to chain it to a light pole in the parking lot next door or carry the bike up three flights of stairs and park it in my already cluttered office.



U-Locked to a handicap parking sign - another not-so-great choice.

 

See - I really do recycle!

 

I will finally get around to the point:

 

Yes, I get a little excited about a bike rack!

(Look in the Bike Parts and Accessories section.)

 

The point is that life is better when there's a good place to park your bike. And we cyclists like to work and shop at places that hook us up with a nice rack or even a mediocre rack. We like to talk those places up to others - even those strange people who don't try to ride a bike everywhere.

 

So, Lubbock businesses, how about it? But before you answer that question, please read this article:

 

Bikes Bring Bucks: 6 Ways Bicycling Benefits Businesses and Local Economies

 

The CliffffffsNotes for Business Guide to that link above:

• Want more jobs, read Benefit 1.
• If you're trying to increase sales, read Benefit 2.
• If your business suffers from high health care costs and too many sick days, read Benefit 3.
• If your business does not have enough parking, read Benefit 4.
• If you're a city planner or economic developer, read Benefit 5.
• If your business wants to attract more students, read Benefit 6.

 

See more fun racks here

 

So, Lubbock businesses, how about it? Who's going to rack up all those benefits for just $45?

 

May we find better and healthier ways for us all to get around and treat each other much better!