Bicycle commuters are willing to pay extra fees for secure, indoor bike rooms

One of the best ways to offer more amenities to guests and residents while also growing business is by establishing fees for extra services. People are willing to pay for additional features and understand that the fees go towards administrative costs.

Charging additional fees is a viable path for growing your business. It provides additional income to put back into the property, allowing it to stay up-to-date and in tip-top shape. These new upgrades make it appealing for visitors from younger demographics to revisit your facility and, better yet, bring their friends.

These are also known as ancillary-revenue programs—or any revenue outside of the main ticket price or rent. Those revenues could be significant. It's why airlines charge you for baggage fees and food. United earns the most from this type of revenue, with $6.2 billion in 2015 non-ticket revenue.

Whether you run a multifamily community

The unique, space-saving DoubleUp vertical bike rack, designed by Sustainable Sites and offered by The Park and Facilities Catalog, was recently featured in an issue of  Bicycle Retailer magazine.

Bicycle Retailer is the "bible" for the bicycle industry. Their website generates 225,000 monthly visits on average. The print magazine is sent to 27,000 readers. The magazine has been the lead bicycle trade publication since 1992. Here is a link to the article.

"We specifically designed this vertical bike rack to be one of the most efficient, if not the most efficient, way to store bicycles inside," said Chris Luyet, co-inventor and Vice President and General Manager of The Park and Facilities Catalog. "With this unique design, you will find it is very easy to load bicycles onto the rack, and at the same time, keep them from bumping into each other. This allows for more bicycles to be stored where space might be limited, such as a bike room, for example."

If you are looking for the most

One of the best scenes in the critically-acclaimed movie "La La Land" includes a park bench. Photo Credit: Dale Robinette / Lionsgate

When watching awards shows, it's clear that there are so many factors that go into film-making: editing, cinematography, production design, directing, sound, makeup, music, park benches and many other factors are all necessary for the successful, tear-jerking films that we all love.

Park benches? Sure. They are in plenty of hit movies. As writers and directors set the scene, many choose a local park for portraying everyday life in films. No matter the genre—action, mystery, love, comedy, or otherwise—there is one prop that remains constant: the park bench.

A park bench is something most moviegoers can identify with, as opposed to say a mansion or a yacht. It's a place where anyone is welcome to sit and talk, read, or think.

Park benches are easy to look past, but later you will find yourself searching for one when your legs

Custom bike racks used by the Central Texas Council of Governments to encourage more bicycle riding and reduce air pollution

Sometimes a bike parking rack is more than a place to lock a bicycle.

In the case of the Central Texas Council of Governments, it's one more step toward creating cleaner air in a seven-county area.

With a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the CTCOG recently purchased 60 custom bike racks from The Park and Facilities Catalog. These U-shaped, unique bike racks include a custom decal with the organization's air quality logo and an inspirational message: "Do your share for cleaner air."

A website, www.ctair.org is also listed to provide residents with additional information on air quality and how the public can get involved to make it cleaner.

This is more than just your standard bicycle parking rack - it's also a mini-billboard for a great cause.

The CTCOG, based out of Belton, TX, covers seven counties - San Saba, Mills, Hamilton, Lampasas,

 

New types of coatings and designs for metal picnic tables have resulted in several advantages over traditional picnic tables

Spring is around the corner and it's time to prepare the picnic tables. But as a facility manager, do you really want to spend all your time repairing and refinishing tables? And doing it over again next year? And the year after that?

Consider metal picnic tables. Technological advances in manufacturing have produced tremendous improvements in the durability, appeal-ability and versatility of picnic tables today.

For years, traditional wooden picnic tables were the defacto standard. They were as standard as the apple pie and hot dogs that were placed on them.

But wooden picnic tables, for as charming as they are, do have some issues.

Wood is not the best material for fighting the elements. We're not just talking about rain and snow either.

Metal picnic tables feature coatings designed to last

Picnic table ruined by the elements

The sun's UV rays have the ability

A couple lock their bikes to commercial bike racks near a facility. Developers can earn LEED credits for adding bicycle parking racks to their apartment or office buildings

Did you know that you can earn LEED credits for  providing commercial bike racks at your facility?

LEED is a highly recognized third-party verification program for green buildings—it stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Its innovations are changing the way people think about planning and constructing buildings. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, an incredible 1.85 million square feet of space is certified daily.

Property managers, homeowners, CEOs of businesses, and all kinds of people are interested in earning LEED credits with a goal of adding the credits up to a certification level: either Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. LEED Certification at any level translates into great things for a business.

How Credits from Commercial Bike Racks Helps Your Business

1.

Bike commuter - cities are trying to find ways to accommodate and encourage this form of transportation over automobiles and mass transit

By Gerald Dlubala

"The increased number of bike users is very encouraging, given the less than ideal, and sometimes downright dangerous conditions, having to compete with extremely heavy motor vehicle traffic. But given the opportunity, people will take to the streets by bicycle."

That's the findings of a recent study, (October 2015), performed by Transportation Alternatives, a street safety advocacy group in New York.

Their study echoes many of the studies performed in major metropolitan areas on the topic of bicycle and pedestrian traffic, generally showing that the public has definite interest in bicycle use for transportation and commuting purposes, but the obstacles and concerns in doing so can keep those people from following through on that interest.

Common obstacles to bicycle commuting and increased recreational riding in metropolitan cities

 

The trend continues - more cities are creating bicycle master plans, investing in bike infrastructure and requiring bike rooms in new buildings

There's no doubt about it - bicycling infrastructure continues to grow in America as we see more bicycle master plans,  bike lanes, bike-share programs, bicycle racks, bike rooms and bike laws.

According to the Census Bureau, 43 of the 70 largest cities in the US saw an increase in 2015 in bike commuters. Many cities are approaching a milestone of 4% bike commuting mode share. Portland is at 7%. How high is realistic? Well, experts say Copenhagen is able to achieve a 56% bike mode share.

We think it's only going to get better in 2017. Here are our predictions:

Cities will continue to adopt bicycle master plans to be more bicycle friendly

At one time Portland was considered the epicenter of great bicycle infrastructure and far ahead of the rest of the country. But other major cities have caught on to the benefits of making it easy to bicycle

Attention Architects and Construction Project Managers: The Park and Facilities Catalog is a leading supplier of commercial bike racks, products for bike rooms, aluminum bleachers and hundreds of other durable and attractive outdoor furnishing products for facilities and schools. Go here to see our complete catalog of commercial site furnishings. We also supply spec sheets, CAD files and free layouts.

 

A family of four cheers on their favorite football team while sitting in aluminum bleacher

College baseball. High school track. Little league. Fall sports. Spectators for all those sports need a place to sit and in the next few months it's going to be a scramble to get those aluminum bleachers up and ready.

Top ten tips to know when ordering aluminum bleachers Order early. Generally, experienced manufacturers know how to keep up with the demand and supply so shipping is not a problem. But things happen. There might a shortage of aluminum planks or other unforeseen circumstances that is out of manufacturers control. Murphy' law. Anticipate delays. Just ask the Chicago Cubs. Custom Bleacher Orders. The advice to "order early" is critical when it comes to custom bleachers. Because customization is involved, there's no way to give an exact estimate of lead times when it comes to these types of projects. Every project is different with different requirements. Call early.

Portable bleachers

Commercial trash can in a park over-filled with litter which just encourages more trash to be thrown around it

If you think your facility is 100% litter-free with plenty of commercial trash cans in place, you might be in for a surprise

Whether you run a restaurant, store, shopping mall, outdoor park, or any other facility, you are likely no stranger to the problem of littering. Even if your litter is kept to a minimum, there will still be guests who scatter their trash. They may be lazy, busy, or just inattentive. Guests will litter for a variety of reasons, but the key is how facility and property managers handle it.

There are plenty of steps you can take to reduce or manage litter at your facility—here are 10 to get you started. You may not have the bandwidth or budget to implement all of these ideas immediately. However, by creating a specific action plan involving outdoor commercial trash cans, you can take steps to improve your facility and quickly notice improvements.

Metal benches provide a durable, low maintenance, customized option for landscape architects

People have become familiar with wooden park benches since the first bench was built, but with the advent of contemporary metal benches there are many more options that any landscape designer will appreciate.

Advancements in manufacturing have now transformed metal benches from ugly, rusting sheets of steel to vibrant, super-durable, easy-to-clean benches that are low maintenance and can withstand any type of weather thrown at it.

One of the main reasons why metal benches are a smart choice is due to advances with coated benches. There are coatings out there now, like SealGuard offered by The Park and Facilities Catalog with a 5-year warranty, that are just about bulletproof.

These thick, thermoplastic coatings can repel paint and prevent rust and corrosion from the elements. What's also amazing is that these finishes resist UV rays, so the coated bench can retain its lustrous original color for

The newly renovated bike room in the Waterstone building featuring UpLift bike docks

More people are riding bicycles today and if you want to impress residents at multifamily communities, one way to do that is by adding a stylish bike room with cool bike docks.

That's what RW Selby & Company accomplished recently at their Waterstone Metro apartment complex on Castle Heights in Los Angeles, CA.

Previously, the 130-unit apartment building had an older bike area with a used bike rack. According to project manager Skylar Perkins, this created an uninviting, "cluttered" appearance.

To give the bike area a facelift, they added 10 high-density UpLift bike docks from the Park and Facilities Catalog.  The crew also added a bright epoxy finish to the floor and a bike fix station. With a giant graphic "Cycle" painted on the wall, the bike room now has a new, welcome appearance.

"They (bike racks) are a cool amenity and the UpLift racks look very high tech," said Perkins. "It's a great addition

Kaohsiumg National Stadium with dragon-shaped desig

By Gerald Dlubala

It's true, we love and are extremely passionate about our sports teams and for many Americans, sitting in stadium bleachers on the weekend is like visiting a vacation resort.

For that reason, the sports industry in America was said to be worth over $60 billion in 2015, and is estimated to top $73 billion by 2019. But the competition isn't always on the field. Sometimes, it IS the field, with the stadiums and venues taking on identities of their own.

With amenities such as shopping malls, restaurants, and conference/meeting room space, and even extended stay hotel rooms, the venue can be just as popular, and sometimes more so, than the teams that call these places home.

Following is a list of ten iconic, unique, or pretty cool stadiums and team venues. It was a tall task, because in fact, there are many, many cool and unique sports venues out there, and some rather dramatic ones in the process of being built. So this list

Candace Wilson, a student at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, stands with her design for a custom bike rack to be installed on the campus

The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale teamed up with The Park and Facilities Catalog to create a custom bike rack to be permanently installed on their campus.

"We were very excited to work with The Park Catalog on this project," said Jeff LaLiberte, Director of Campus Relations at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. "We certainly believe in the benefits of bicycling as an alternative means of transportation to help the environment, reduce congestion in cities and promote a healthy lifestyle."

Chris Luyet, VP of Marketing and Business Development said, "We knew that with the help of these talented students we could build an artistic bike rack that attracts attention and inspires people to bicycle more and drive less."

Towns, schools, stores and offices can use commercial bike racks with a custom logo or message promote their brand to bicyclists