“Bike Bike Rack” Update
When we started the Bike Bike Rack program back in 2012 with 6 racks, we didn’t imagine how it would blossom.
We now have a grand total of 74 Bike Bike Racks and 2 AirKits in a city of roughly 1-square mile!! Now, wherever you want to go in our town, odds are that there is well placed bike parking for you and your family…and they are beautiful to look at, too!
Acknowledging a huge Thank You to these businesses and all the other organizations who have partnered so far, as well as to Grizzly Peak Cyclists for continued support of our efforts through a generous annual charitable donation, the Solano Avenue Association for contracting us to provide Bicycle Valet Parking at the annual Solano Stroll, individuals like YOU who have donated to the cause, the Chamber of Commerce for giving us an opportunity to mix & mingle with business people, and to the City of Albany for assistance and staffing for the installation of new racks and AirKits.
Is this a fun town, or what?? Here is a FULL, UPDATED LIST OF BIKE BIKE RACK LOCAL BUSINESS-PARTNER AND AIRKIT LOCATIONS (and this is a viewable pdf).
Roll on down and share the love by patronizing these local merchants who are helping to make Albany a bike-friendly community.
“Bike Rack” Update (Posted by Sherie Reineman, June 2, 2016)
Albany Strollers & Rollers has now seed funded and led installation of 49 “Bike Bike Racks”? since 2012! (see links below for how this magical transformation has materialized over time). Many thanks to our sponsors (Grizzly Peak Cyclists for the initial contribution), to AS&R volunteers (Dan Lieberman for measuring & photographing locations, Ken McCroskey for designing colorful stickers for “saddles,” Amy Smolens for interfacing with businesses,) to the City of Albany (Mark Matherly of City of Albany Public Works for installation, Aleida Andrino-Chavez for helping find interested businesses,) Design-A-Sign for producing the saddle stickers and to ALL the participating partner Albany businesses (as well as a few individuals) who have stepped up to share the cost of purchase and installation to have bike racks installed adjacent to their shops and around town. We are also happy to report improved bike parking at Safeway facilitated by Amy Smolens of Albany Strollers & Rollers AND at Whole Foods Gilman facilitated primarily by AS&R members Lynn Eve Komaromi & Preston Jordan:
Abrams Claghorn Gallery
Albany Bowl
Albany Florist and Gifts
Albany Children’s Center
Albany YMCA
Avenue Yarns?(formerlyK2TOG)
BevMo
Bikes on Solano (bike racks ordered/installed with previous business, Wheels of Justice Cyclery)
Bridgewater Condominium Visitor Parking
Bua Luang Thai Cuisine
Boss Burger
Cafe Eugene
Daniel Winkler & Associates
Eisenmann Architecture
Feagley Realtors
Fish First
Gathering Tribes
Grazzy Burgers/Albany Taproom
Hamro-Aangan
Hopsy
Innate Chiropractic and Wellness Studio
Jewel’s Terrace Park
Kim’s Cafe & Sandwiches
Kumon Math & Reading Center
Little Star Pizza
Metta Thai Massage/Be Fit Personal Training
Mr. Dewie’s Cashew Creamery
Prins Chiropractic
Rising Sun Montessori Preschool
Royal Cafe
Royal Ground Coffee
Schmidt’s Pub
Solano Smile
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church
Stone Bridge Press/Francesco Papalia
Sweat Strength + Cycling
T324
Tay Tah Cafe
Zarri’s
City of Albany (eastern welcome sign at Solano & Neilson)
Coming soon: Tilden Prep
39 Bike Bike Racks now in Albany! (Posted By Amy Smolens, on February 12th, 2016)
Bike Bike Racks 3.0 in Albany! (Posted By Amy Smolens, on November 1st, 2013)
AS&R Funded New Bike Racks now at the Waterfront! (Posted By Amy Smolens, on June 9th, 2013)
More “Bike Bike Racks” Around Town!(Posted by Amy Smolens, January 25, 2013)The racks at St. Alban’s Church have gotten plenty of use already!
You may have noticed 6 bright, shiny and colorful new Dero “Bike Bike Racks” around town. These are a partnership between the local businesses, Albany Strollers & Rollers and the City of Albany.
The locations with two new racks each are Wheels of Justice Cyclery on Solano Avenue, St. Alban?™s Church on Washington and Grazzy Burger/Albany Taproom, which will open in February on San Pablo Avenue.
That adds to the 6 that are already in town at Gathering Tribes, K2TOG, Daniel Winkler & Associates, T324, Innate Chiropractic and Metta Thai Massage/Be Fit Personal Training.
We really appreciate these businesses working with us to ensure that there is secure bicycle parking at their locations – thanks to them and to Winkie Campbell-Notar of the Albany Chamber of Commerce for helping make Albany more bike-friendly!
Thanks also to Dan Lieberman for measuring and photographing the locations with me while he was still recovering from a torn ACL, Mark Matherly of Public Works for being very detail oriented while installing the racks, Ken McCroskey for designing the colorful decals on the rack “saddles” and Design-A-Sign for producing those decals at both excellent price and quality.
- Grazzy Burgers showed great forethought by installing two Bike Bike Racks before they opened. Can’t wait to ride there for a burger!
I would be remiss not to mention Grizzly Peak Cyclists, whose generous donations to AS&R have allowed us to make purchases like this which benefit cyclists from all over the East Bay!
These racks are extremely popular because not only do they provide bike parking but they look great – they?™re bright and attractive. When Mark and I were installing the racks many people walked by and were excited that they were going in.
Albany Strollers & Rollers is happy to invest money in projects like this in which we work with local businesses and the City to make our town more bike-friendly.
Have any other ideas of local community projects? Contact me!
See more photos of bike racks around town in our Gallery.
AS&R Funding New Bike Racks Coming Soon to the Waterfront!
(Posted by Amy Smolens, November 16, 2012)
Led by the Waterfront Committee, the City is improving the Cove area at Albany’s Waterfront by installing landscaping, seating and bike racks (plans are available in the staff report here.)
The 12 new racks are being paid for by a $5,000 grant to Albany Strollers & Rollers from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and Coca-Cola, secured by AS&R Core Member Susan Moffat and administered by her, John Alexander and me. The grant was part of a program funded by Coca-Cola North America and designed by Rails-to-Trails to catalyze trail development and encourage trail use nationwide.
In providing the grant, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy stated: “Albany Strollers & Rollers was selected due to your longstanding commitment to promoting safe routes for walking and bicycling that connect to the Ohlone Greenway and the San Francisco Bay Trail.”
The Waterfront Committee and AS&R’s representatives selected Dero’s Recycle Circle Racks, made from 96% recycled material, which look like the attached photo but in grey, with a corrosion-resistant thermoplastic coating. The installation of these racks will complement the restoration of the Cove art/seating feature and replace a rusted and inadequate rack with artful bubble-shaped racks that echo the curves of the Cove and that are made of rebar, reflecting the wild nature of the Bulb, which was once a landfill built of construction debris.
We are hoping that they will arrive and be installed by the end of 2012!
In addition to this Cove Enhancement Project, the East Bay Regional Park District’s improvement of Albany Beach is likely to draw more visitors in the future. The racks will be welcomed by park users and will help encourage more people to access this spectacular spot by bicycle rather than car. We hope that as people see the city taking better care of the waterfront through the Cove improvements, including these bike racks, visitors will also be inspired to be better stewards of our shoreline.
Thanks to the Waterfront Committee’s Claire Napawan and Francesco Papalia, the rest of the WFC, and Albany’s Community Development Director, Jeff Bond, for making this process go smoothly!