Tom Hoober believes the world would be a better place if more people rode bicycles.
There would be less traffic congestion, less pollution and a healthier population if more people opted for two wheels, he said.
To encourage riding, Hoober wanted to make one small step at a building he manages in Lancaster City: install a bike rack. The problem was space. There was little room behind the building at 228 E. Orange. His solution: go vertical.
Hoober recently put two racks in a confined space by the building’s back door. The racks allow employees or residents of the building to hang their bicycles by the front wheel and secure them to the rack. Bicycles protrude from the wall three feet or less. A traditional rack would have required five feet or more. That would have blocked the entrance.
“I hope that businesses think about this. I hope that government offices think about this. …. I hope that people are thinking about a new way to get around,” Hoober said this morning, promoting the racks.
He plans to install the Saris racks, at $58 each, at all eight of the buildings he manages through his company, Thomas R. Hoober, Inc.
An avid bicyclist, Hoober rode in this morning rainstorm to display the racks. He stopped during his two-mile commute from his home in Wheatland Hills to put on a rainsuit. “There are obvious problems,” he said, referring to the rain, “but I’m dry.”
About 15 people work in the building’s offices. Another 16 live in apartments on the second and third floors. “Most of the staff of these companies are young and active and can ride bikes,” he said. “I have two racks there. Hopefully, I’ll need more of them.”
