Bike Rack Design Contest Winners Announced

The Downtown Austin Alliance has announced three winners in its bike rack design contest.

The chosen racks were submitted by Ann Armstrong, Ben Harman and Kezia and Tom Simister. They will be installed at 401, 600 and 816 Congress Avenue.

We spoke with Tom Simister, who said he and Kezia "are thrilled that Sprout Stop was chosen and we think it will add a spark of functional beauty to Congress."

The winning designers are in the process of meeting with the DAA and working with the fabricators. Installation of the final racks is expected to happen next spring.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Shawn Shillington in News on November 3, 2008 12:02 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

twotired

Huh? These are TERRIBLE bike racks. Public are they may be, but all three share the common fatal design flaw of providing only one point of contact for the bike leaning against what is nothing more than a glorified parking meter, which will result in falling bikes. And the “Gear Grove”? Expect multiple lawsuits against the city and DAA for severe lacerations when passersby inadvertently brush up against the cog teeth.

The DAA should scrap all three and start over with the following required design criteria: 1) Stability: all entries must provide two points of contact between bike frame and rack; 2) Security: they must at a minimum allow the cyclist to secure the frame and front wheel to the rack with at least a standard size U-lock; and 3) Comprehension: the rack should be immediately recognizable as a place to park a bike and the method of securing the bike should be self-evident.

smason

Funny, elephant ear is an invasive species which the city recommends avoiding when landscaping. On top of that, Keep Austin Beautiful actually organizes volunteers to go out with herbicide to try to prevent the stuff from spreading.

bluejar

the gear ones look the best, the cleanest and most modern/easier to fabricate than the 'disney-world' themed p.o.s.s

but yay for bikes!

LoudMouth

Bitches!

That grass design looks exactly like the design I submitted as a joke since that was the first thing that immediately sprang to mind. I bet mine didn't make the cut because it was drawn on a cocktail napkin. Fucking bitches.

I also submitted one like those leaves but they were Keep Austin Friendly pot leaves. I got a note back from the mayor's office telling me they weren't interested in designs incorporating cannabis plants but they would welcome those of the cocas.