Bike racks stir controversy amongst DHS students
In “The Bicycle Capital of America”, bikes and bike racks are taken seriously by DHS students.
There are three main bike racks at DHS, including a north rack located behind the performing arts building, an east rack by the student parking lot and new racks that were built in unison with the new stadium in 2010.
Students consider factors such as locker proximity, aisle space and congestion when determining which racks to park at.
Sophomore Michaela Joerger parks at the east racks because of proximity to her 1st period class, but she is not pleased with the space, “The aisles need to be wider,” she said.
Joerger is not the only student unsatisfied with the east racks. “The branches really need to be trimmed, I find them to be a hazard!” sophomore Mia Stombler said.
At the northern end of the east racks after 7th period, students can often be found tripping over bike wheels, bumping into other bikes and waiting in a long line of wheel-to-wheel bike traffic. The southern end is less crowded but deals with long branches as described by Stombler.
Stombler has also had recent issues with the north racks where she said her bike got stolen on the second week of school. The north racks are more isolated than the rest and out of view from yard duties and teachers.
The north racks are positioned beside the tennis courts and are reached via a narrow dirt path or by way of the sidewalk; both are strewn with pedestrians before and after school.
The north racks were recently repositioned due to a break in a water main that burst through the asphalt. “The custodians were quick to place the bike racks accordingly,” Vice Principal Tom McHale said.
“The aisles are really tiny and hard to get your bike through when it’s crowded,” sophomore Mary Ellen Price said.
With a different view, Elizabeth Leshuk described the north racks as “not that bad.” She finds the racks easy to maneuver in and only crowded when she leaves. Sophomore Max Guerro agrees. “They are not very crowded, [but] I’d say they are more crowded in the afternoon.”
The stadium racks are the smallest racks and placed far away from most classrooms. They attract the least number of students because they are far from the bike path/lane and they can be a challenge to get to. Because of the few number of students who park in the stadium racks, they are by far the least crowded.
In a recent poll at DHS, 25 DHS students on the quad were asked which bike racks were the most crowded and which were the least crowded. 20 out of the 25 pegged the stadium racks as the least crowded, and 18 declared the east racks the most crowded.
Senior Danielle Schickele has parked at all three racks and favors the north racks. She reaches the racks by way of the dirt path. “If I run into pedestrians they just move out of the way or I wait for them to get out of the way.”
Schickele parked at the east racks during her sophomore year but switched racks because of overcrowding.
