A blogger writes that bike advocates should think outside the bike lane to bike parking facilities—only when the costs of biking are externalized will a critical mass adopt biking.
The solution to ending bike theft is easy. It starts with this fact: we are already dealing as individuals with the costs of theft," writes Michael Andersen."To truly solve bike theft, all we have to do is cover those costs as a society — in the form of secure bike parking."
After detailing the success of a secure parking facility at Oregon Health and Science University, Andersen argues that secure bike parking has led to an increased rate of bike commuting to OHSU: "Having zero risk of your bike being stolen, as well as the social benefits and practicality of the bike valet, has created a huge spike in bike commuting to OHSU. After the first year, we had a 25 percent increase in valet users and after the second an increase of 35 percent."
Andersen then moves on to a larger point about the many types of infrastructure, and their benefits relative to the status quo of automobile infrastructure, that can support a more multi-modal culture.
FULL STORY: The simple way to end bike theft: Externalize the costs
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