Bike racks are very important to our school, and many students have different opinions on them. There are many various thoughts about the bike racks at Fallon. Bike racks are used as a place to park your bikes and keep them safe during the school day. However, some people misuse the bike racks. Recently, bikes and other transportation equipment at Fallon Middle School have been stolen and tires have been punctured without their owners knowing about it. This is due to students not locking their bikes, which provide the opportunity for people to take advantage of others’ property.

     According to seventh grade student, Jaxon Dhesi, “The bike racks are uneven and take up a lot of space…also a lot of people misuse it and cause a lot of damage to it, which makes them worse than they already are.” Dhesi’s opinion about the bike racks represents the majority of students. Most people think that our school’s bike racks are bad because they are out of shape and need to be fixed. However, the main problem with the Fallon bike racks is the shortage of bike spots.  According to the student population at Fallon, approximately 1650 students, many of whom are forced to bike or scooter to school daily due to working parents, the number of spots to secure student’s transportation is lacking.  The problem becomes greater when you have many students misusing it as well. 

     Many say that the problem with the bike racks is that the area isn’t large enough, and the parking spots are too small and weak. Mr. Lui  agrees with this. He adds,  “The bike racks should be able to have more racks to hold more bikes considering how many people ride to school.” The current bike racks have very small tire openings, which students dislike,  and they do not trust them to hold their bikes securely. By the end of the day, most of the bikes in the racks have fallen down on their side.  With the advent of mountain bikes, larger tires, and scooters, a more modern rack to fit the needs of the current student transportation seems to be a logical correction for the school to make. Whether or not new bike racks would cause students to be more diligent about locking their bike up everyday remains to be seen.  However, creating a more secure environment is the first step to solving the problem.  Remember, it only takes one broken window to bring down an entire neighborhood.