a midway bikelog

As noted at the end of this article: Leave your bike at the airport? Not a good idea, rider says. (via velocipete).

Aside from the incorrect characterization of a Raleigh 3-speed as an “American bike”, it’s a sad story about a 70-year-old guy who rode his bike to the airport, parked it there while on a 4-day trip, and came back to find it cut to pieces. Apparently airport maintenance people did this – clueless or just anti-bike??

I find this story interesting because i very nearly rode my bike to the airport this summer for my vacation to Alaska. There are trains with bike carriers that go to the airport, it’s really not that far to go, but there is apparently no provision for secure bicycle parking. I’m glad i didn’t ride, i wouldn’t want to reclaim my bike in pieces, i’d much rather ride it home.

Given the valid concerns over automobile parking at the airport (inconveniently far away, expensive, security risk), why not provide viable alternatives? The rail is great, but it couldn’t be that hard to have a couple dozen bike lockers there. If i were flying on any kind of regular basis (and i’m not), i’d bike there or to the nearest train station just to save taxi or parking fees. They could charge $10 for the use of a bike locker, and it would still be 1/4 the cost of a taxi ride there and back.