I'm looking for advice about using the bike racks at the airport (SJC) for long-term parking.
1) Are there any limits to how long you can park a bike there? I wouldn't want someone to decide the bike is abandoned and trash it.
2) Though I wouldn't be parking an expensive bike or leaving accessories on it, I'm somewhat concerned about security--any advice about which of the three rack locations is likely to be most secure?
Thanks!
Charlie
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chrs
September 15, 2009 - 2:03pm
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inspection report
I went on my lunch hour and looked at the racks:
1) next to the Terminal short-term-parking garage entrance. Lots of space, well covered (rain protection). In sight of curb-check agents across the street, but the entrance to the garage in unmanned. But generally lots of people about.
2) Further down in the parking garage, on the terminal side of the building, before the taxi stand. This is just three hoops, and there were 4 bikes parked there, one on a railing, so it's a little more crowded, but it's in sight of the parking garage checkout folks, from across the garage. This might make a thief more nervous. Still well covered (rain protection).
3) Terminal C, all the way at the end of the "spur" of the terminal, between a taxi stand and the USO temporary looking building. Very visible to taxi drivers and taxi dispatch staff. Completely uncovered. This might be my choice for seasons when I wasn't expecting much rain (though lately it seems you can't know what to expect).
andy wang
October 9, 2009 - 9:58pm
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Terminal A bike racks
I've used both Terminal A garage racks, for up to 4 days at a time... never had a problem with anything dissappearing (I leave a cheap 4 tumbler lock, panniers, helmet, vest, gloves, etc). But all my stuff isn't worth more than $80 combined, and they look it. In general, only airport workers walk through the center garage entrance; everyone else is jetting thru trying to get where they need to go, and thieves don't think of the airport as the ideal place to find nice bikes. And they're right on that account, as far as I can tell. Most non-cyclists freak at the idea of riding "around the airport loop", especially with the construction. But it's not too bad, especially with the upper river pathway along most of the airport length.
enjoy... I bike to fly whenever I can handle the baggage!!!
kit
October 20, 2009 - 4:49pm
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I'm happy to see other people
I'm happy to see other people talking about this. While I think the outdoor racks are great, I think there's a real need for more racks, and more importantly, multi-use lockers near the airport. Right now there are lockers at Santa Clara station, but they're single use, which is useless to would-be cycling airport commuters.
If we could get a multi-use bikelink system in Santa Clara, cyclists could pay a tiny fee and know that their bicycles, even trailers and panniers, were safe and sound. The free shuttle between the station and the airport runs at almost all hours and takes almost no time at all. It's a win, win! So who do we gotta petition! :)
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