Hey @mbta, why is every single bike in the Alewife cages ticketed for removal? My bike is not abando

[ursamajor]

post-tags: instagram, crosspost Hey @mbta, why is every single bike in the Alewife cages ticketed for removal? My bike is not abandoned; it's been here 6 hours.

Comments

[anirt.livejournal.com]

I never thought of footage! When I've seen abandoned bikes tagged in Chicago, for example in front of the cultural center downtown near the lake, it was always clear-cut: totally rusted from the winter, flat tires, missing bike parts. Sometimes there's just a lonely frame lying on the ground somehow still locked to the rack. I know there's surveillance cams everywhere in the city, but I don't know that there are any specifically aimed at bike racks.

[ursamajor]

I believe the MBTA bike cages have security cameras, so I'm making the charitable assumption that there *is* footage to pull :) ... and hey, while I go looking for confirmation that the bike cages have security cameras (they do), have an explanation:

Alewife Parking Congestion: Due to the lack of bike parking spaces at Alewife Station, the MBTA will be tagging bikes that are left overnight. After 14 days, the MBTA will remove tagged bikes. ... If your bicycle has been tagged for removal and is not abandoned, just remove the tag. You can continue to park your bicycle in the facility.

Now IF ONLY THE TICKETS ACTUALLY EXPLAINED THIS.

Still, it delights me that biking to the subway has become popular enough that not only are they opening a third cage, larger than the other two, they feel the need to make a special announcement about their efforts to keep bike parking spaces free for those who need them. Now if only things looked a little more like this. Or this, where they have sensors to tell you how many spaces are free in each section - and which can also tell the parking lot owners how long a given bike has been there, and to start charging beyond a 24/48/72 hour limit (though I think that's actually shown more in the first video).