Haphazardly abandoned bike shares are unfortunately commonplace on the sidewalks of Ballard, but the City’s trying to change that.
The Seattle Department of Transportation has released a PSA to help correct bad habits of bike share users.
The department recruited Jacob Struiksma, who is blind, and Dorian Taylor, who uses a wheelchair, to provide their perspectives on the challenges of navigating a sidewalk littered with poorly parked bikes.
“Don’t dump your bikes against the wall of a building because my arms get caught in the handlebars and it makes it difficult for blind and low-vision people to find the entrance to the building,” Jacob says in the video.
Instead, park it in a bike rack, or in the space between the sidewalk and the street, Dorian says.
“Use common sense. Don’t block access to transit stops, curb ramps, benches, driveways, or doors,” he adds. “There should be at least six feet of clear space for pedestrian access.”
SDOT says that bike share companies Lime and Jump will email the video to their users. And, according to The Seattle Times, Jump has established 20 no-parking zones in Seattle, areas in which riders are charged a fee for ending a trip.
Photo: Ballard bike share parking in 2017 (Don’t do this)