Annoyed: 4th Street Live anti-bicycles

I and several of my customers have recently been told that 4th Street Live is off limits to those looking for a place to park their bicycles. While it is true that racks are provided at the corners of 4th and Muhammed Ali and Liberty streets, bicycles will no longer be allowed to be chained to anything within the "friendly" confines of 4th Street Live.

CAUTION: Rant begins here:

I get it, I really do. But I am still allowed to be annoyed. Rather than being bicycle friendly and providing some additional bike racks within the rather busy stretch, they have decided to go the other direction. For months I have carefully and respectfully chained my bike to a railing far from the bustling sidewalk with the permission of all of the surrounding businesses. I have always moved my bike if asked and I take great care to ensure that my bike is not someone else's problem. No longer good enough.

I realize that inconsiderate cyclists have a tendancy to take advantage of anything and everything stationary for depositing their conveyances, but I've not seen this be the case at 4th Street Live. Maybe this is a pre-emptive strike. Heck, maybe this is my fault! Maybe my bike, tucked carefully out of everyone's way, was the final straw.

Sure I can, and may, chain my bike to the racks at the corner (and pray that it doesn't "find" a new owner), I'm not too good for following the rules (unlike that guy that insisted that I make a left turn at a red light yesterday...digress), but I just don't see the need for this to be an issue.

Rant ended.

So just a heads up to anyone looking to bike down to 4th Street Live for any reason, use the racks at the corner.

I don't get it. If they are talking about building a bike "center" downtown, why would they start discouraging you from using your bike? What am I missing that you understand about the situation. Is the sidewalk too small?

As far as I can understand it is a "prerogative of those that run 4th Street Live" kind of thing and not a downtown kind of thing. As I said, there are bike racks at the corners of the street, so its not like they are pushing bikers out into the streets. My annoyance comes from regularly parking my bike out of the way nearer my store in the middle of the block one day and all is well, and the next day it is taboo without any real explanation.

It seems a bit extreme, particularly when I have walked down Bardstown Rd before and have seen a bike chained to a parked car!! (I am hoping the biker returned before the motorist...)

[Robin Garr]

I and several of my customers have recently been told that 4th Street Live is off limits to those looking for a place to park their bicycles.

Okay, little problem-with-authority issue showing here, Ronnie: Who exactly told you this? Street-level rent-a-cop or management? Any chance of fighting a foolish policy by taking it up to a level where somebody competent can have a look at it?

I was told by (what I perceive to be)the pet rent-a-cop of the big cheese. I could argue the point, but in fairness they do provide racks at the corners, it is a minor point of contention that mainly hinges upon my "fight-senseless-authority" reaction to things that seem to make no sense and appear to be done for the sake of being a control freak. Plus, you know the whole thing reeks of "upper level corporate decision making machine." I was mainly just annoyed and needed to vent (and provide a cautionary warning).

y

I have to go back, daily, I work there.

This may be of interest:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090402/GREEN01/904020360&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL