YellowBottle: Superhero In Training

Earlier this week, YellowBottle combined commuting, fitness training, and exploring. During his 47 mile day, YellowBottle uses the Redbud Trail to get from Downtown to Eddie Bauer at Bradley Fair.

Along the way, he went to check the 9th street improvements west of Hillside.

YellowBottle approved! More please!!!!

YellowBottle is a "Car-Lite" bike commuter. Meaning sometimes he drives a car to his destinations.
Sometimes he bikes. Depends on circumstances.

One reason for skipping a ride is a variation of a much talked problem in Wichita lately. Which is lack of parking. But lack of BIKE parking. Which in turn creates a car parking problem. Today is an example.

With the great weather today, YellowBottle wanted to ride to Delano. But anticipated many others having the same idea. Sure enough, he found 23 bikes from Picasso's to the Monarch. With enough racks to park 10 bikes. Having seen this problem many times, YellowBottle drove to Delano. In order to park at one of dozens of open car parking spots in the area. Taking up a car parking spot he didn't really want in the first place.

Meaning that the routine lack of bike parking is likely driving a perceived car parking problem. A problem that doesn't even exist at this point.

YellowBottle noticed that the fine folks at the Wichita Public Utilities are Shocker fans. Go Shocks!!!!

One of the built in conflicts with being a bike commuter in Wichita is that for at least the past 60 years, Wichita has been intentionally designed as a car-only city. Alot of progress has been made. Especially in the past decade. But the fact remains that if you are a commuter cyclist, this town is not made for you in mind.

Bike Parking is one place where this conflict comes up. When a business doesn't make accommodations for you or your bike, you generally have 3 options:
1) Bring awareness to the business and hope it results in accommodations.
2) Find your own solution on behalf of the business. And try to do so in a way that doesn't disrupt the business.
3) Go to a competing business.
4) Quit commuting.

Here we see YellowBottle and friends giving up on method one and resorting to method two. Creating their own secured bike parking.