A little over two years since the bike rack was installed at our request, the most written about bike rack in America has finally become a more popular bike-parking destination than the blue iron fence under the overpass at Hawthorne station.

Yes, yesterday, the wee rack featured all of four bipedal machines: TJ’s trusty steed, some faceless station bike, the abandoned Ghost Bike, and a shiny black motor scooter whose chain appeared heavier than the bike rack itself. (For what it’s worth, it’s not the first time a fancy Italian scooter has parked at the rack.) The tally over at the underpass? One lonely bike wearing an expression like a kid who got to the carnival seconds after it closed.

I’ve noticed that the bike-to-the-train contingent has shrunk a bit in recent months. Not drastically, since the original number was quiet small. Either a few guys got laid off, or started leaving the bike at home to use the new Hawthorne crosswalks (thanks, Mt Pleasant Today!), or finally succumbed to Car Culture and bought a Hummer.

So there’s plenty of room at the shiny (not so) new bike rack, where the parking is always free, the overpass is just steps away, and there’s plenty of room…at least for now.