Several Philadelphia organizations – WTS Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, oTIS, the Philadelphia Fire Department, and OEM – are sponsoring a bike rack design competition, called RACK ‘EM UP.
The idea has been tossed around for a few years and is based on the prevailing idea that you can keep drivers out of restricted areas only by physically restricting them — something cyclists who ride in unprotected bike lanes know all too well.
According to the RACK EM UP press release,
The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) – in partnership with WTS Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, & Sustainability (oTIS), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), the Philadelphia Fire Department, and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) – aims to design and install prototype fire hydrant-accessible bike corrals – to be known affectionately as Philly Racks – with the goal of preventing illegal car parking, maintaining fire hydrant access, and increasing the supply of bike parking on Philadelphia streets.
This friendly design competition promotes innovation and creativity in regard to the development of a bike corral design that maintains fire hydrant access. In this case, the bike corral would be placed in the parking lane rather than on the sidewalk to provide additional bike parking and pedestrian access. The sponsors are looking for out-of-the-box solutions to maximize the urban landscape and achieve multi-purpose use of existing space.
The goal is to design/install prototype fire hydrant-accessible bike corrals and we encourage you to design a prototype if you’re interested.