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Flint, Mich., bike rack competition

Last, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation conducted a contest to design bike racks that will be installed in the St. Louis area. Now the folks in Flint, Mich., are conducting their own competition.

The Flint Journal says this city's sidewalks could become home to some of the strangest - and most beautiful - bike racks ever made because of a design contest sponsored by the Safe and Active Flint Coalition and the University of Michigan-Flint Green Arts Project. Here's a quote from the story

"If we just put a bike rack up that's just a bike rack, then that's all it ever is," said Flint sculptor Todd Nickola, who fashions art from "found" objects in his workspace at Red Ink Studios. "The idea here is to create something where even if no bikes are connected to it, it would still be a piece of art beautifying the city. Who knows? Maybe then someone would even pick up the trash around it."

The design must consider the look of the existing streetscape in downtown Flint and be black in color, and it also must follow several other criteria -- including being able to support the bike in two places and to accommodate a U-lock. More rules and an entry form can be downloaded as a PDF file.

As Michael Moore documented in his film "Roger and Me," Flint has taken a beating because of the decline of the automobile industry in that city, but local leaders are trying to revitalize the downtown region. The contest is one small step toward that effort.

Labels: bike racks, Michigan

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:55 PM

Saturday, November 03, 2007

St. Louis bike rack design winner

Patty Vinyard, acting executive director of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, passed along this press release about the winner of the group's bike rack competition:

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation has announced Justin Gerard of St. Louis as the winner of its bike rack design competition. The competition is part of the Bike Parking Demonstration Project which aims to work with local municipalities and businesses to get approximately 100 bike racks in the ground. The Bike Fed selected Justin’s design out of the 40 design submissions it received.

Justin’s design is reminiscent of the St. Louis Arch and incorporates a medallion that can carry a bike image or customized sponsor advertising. In addition to receiving name recognition on all racks produced with his artwork, Justin will also be able to choose the location for a bike rack to be installed.

The Bike Parking Demonstration Project received $40,000 in federal funding and a $5,000 grant from REI Gives.In addition, $5,000 will be funded to the Project through donations from individuals as well as matching funds from the William A. Kerr Foundation.

Honorable mentions in the bike rack design competition include: Brian Bergfeld, Mathew Wright, Robin Murez, Elizabeth Kramer and Annemarie Spitz.

About REI Gives: Annually, REI dedicates a portion of its operating profits to help protect and restore the environment, increase access to outdoor activities, and encourage involvement in responsible outdoor recreation. REI employees nominate organizations, projects, and programs in which they are personally involved to receive funding or gear donations. During 2006, REI granted $4 million to more than 430 of our community partners.

About the William A. Kerr Foundation: The William A. Kerr Foundation is a small family foundation funded by the estate of, and named after William A. Kerr. The Foundation is managed by Kerr’s two nephews, John Sweet of St. Louis, and William Sweet of Walnut Creek, California. The foundation focuses the majority of its charitable grants in these two geographical areas.

I like the design of the rack, at least on an aesthetic level. It incorporates the most iconic image of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch, and the medallions are a nice touch. Are the racks practical? That's a question that those of you who are engineers or use bike racks more often than I do might be able to answer.

Labels: bike racks, St. Louis, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 3 comments links to this post 1:31 AM

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Bike rack design competition

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation invites artists, designers, cyclists and other creative people to submit creative bike rack designs for short term, outdoor bike parking.

The Bike Fed has secured a federal grant to place bike racks in St. Louis city and St. Louis County in the coming months. Winners will have their names on all racks built with their designs and be able to select one location on public property in the city or the county to have their rack installed (subject to restrictions). Deadline for submissions is May 20.

You can either download an entry form (PDF) or get a form by mail by sending a request to Bob Foster or Patty Vinyard at info@stlbikefed.org.

Labels: bike racks, St. Louis, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:48 PM