Why are colorful bikes left on sidewalks an eyesore, but rows and rows of cars parked next to sidewalks not?

Order. Cars along a sidewalk are almost always in a straight line - and we recognize via acclimation that this is "normal."

10+ bikes lined up on a sidewalk in a parallel and organized fashion actually aren't much of an eyesore. But ten haphazard bikes, often blocking the sidewalk for pedestrians, is chaotic. Our minds - and interpretation of eyesores - respond accordingly.

I mean, everyone up-thread says "eyesore", but there are other concerns as well.

Chaining a bike to a random object can be a necessity; not everywhere has any bike racks, let alone ones anywhere near where you need them. Chaining a bike to a random object can be perfectly fine.

But people also chain bikes in ways that block access to sidewalks, buildings, and other bits and pieces of the public spaces. It may not be intentional; the way other people use spaces may be different from yours, and it may not be obvious that locking your bike to a particular place may make life more difficult for other people.

Sidewalks aren’t parking lots for bikes. They are “roadways” for walking. If cars were randomly left in the middle of the roads, we might have a more apt comparison. We’r Also be complaining if cars were parked on sidewalks — except maybe in Paris where cars seemingly park wherever the hell the want.

Don't the cars have to pay? Otherwise it seems fair that they should compete for the space.

1. No, most curb parking in most of the United States is free.

2. Where they do have to pay, they pay way under true market value of the land.

..and there are car registration fees, but rarely do I see a requirement for licensing and registration or bikes — nor insurance requirements. Cars in many states are subject to property tax. And gasoline taxes and required annual inspections.

Bikes have none of those requirements. Cars definitely pay for the infrastructure they use.

As far as fair market value for the land: what’s the value of a square meter of sidewalk in Manhattan? Are bikes paying fair market value for the sidewalks upon which they park?

These anti-car arguments are starting to get absurd.