Contest aims to find bike rack designs
They’ve got to be fun — but also functional.
The City of Vancouver is holding a contest to create several new bike rack designs for installation around the city.
Vancouver installs about 100 new bike racks each year, selecting the best option from a limited number of designs, including a U-shaped rack and heart-shaped racks, explained Vancouver public space planner Paul Krueger. With the contest, which closes May 20, the city hopes to add a few more options to its bike rack repertoire.
At least two winning designs will be chosen, including a jury-selected rack and a People’s Choice rack.
But it will take more than a clever design to win the $2,000 grand prize.
“We’re looking for bike racks that are not just fun, but also functional, durable and safe,” said Krueger. In addition, they’ve got to be cost-effective to fabricate and install. Each rack should hold two bikes.
The city has held several “design jams” to promote the event in the design community, but the contest is low-barrier, meaning it’s open to anyone who lives, works or studies in Vancouver. It’s also open to kids, with parental consent. So far, the city has seen a lot of “interesting” submissions, said Krueger.
The winning designs will be announced this summer, and the city will build the racks and install them in public spaces where new racks are needed, including streets, sidewalks and plazas. They’ll be added to the city’s “furniture catalogue” to be used at any time starting this fall.
HUB Cycling acting executive director Laura Jane said an eye-pleasing bike rack is a welcome “bonus,” but the design must be practical and well located to best serve cyclists.
That means it should provide a way to lock a bike’s frame, not just its front wheel, and it should be of adequate height to fit bikes with a front basket. Being accessible from both sides is also preferred, while some kind of shelter to protect bikes from the rain would be nice to see, she said.
While the bike racks will only be installed on public land, HUB provides “bikeability assessments” for private companies trying to provide better bike parking for their employees and patrons. The cycling advocacy group also walks businesses through the process of requesting a bike rack on city property.
More information on the bike rack design contest can be found on the city’s website.