Was this a mature tree or one of those newly planted trees with a "Friends of Trees" tag still attached? If the former, IAnon has a pretty good point. If the latter, locking a bike to a developing tree is just bad form and can lead to bark damage and is not all that smart to do with an expensive bike because it likely takes a few seconds with the right tool to cut through the wood.
You're correct, anon--parking strips ARE public. While it may be a mild annoyance to have someone lock up their bike (for longer than twenty minutes, even!), these perturbed homeowners don't own the tree that's on the curb by the street. Just like when people buy those "no parking signs" and put them on red cones and then place them on the street in front of their houses: they don't own the street, so they don't own the right to tell people they can't park in front of their house.
There's just one thing, anon: your bike being expensive basically means dick in this situation. Plenty of people with expensive bikes park them in crowded places all the time; I get you were going to be on your way out, but don't pull the 'worried about your bike being stolen' card because you aren't the only one who has a nice enough bike worth stealing.
Portland should have a fleet of public bikes just sitting around that all people can use and that never need.to be locked up because they belong to everybody. And they could all be painted hot pink for breast cancer awareness.
If someone left a passive aggressive note like that for me I would be so devastated that I would basically have to apologize in the only way that they would definitely see. I would carve my apology into their tree.
Jes' kiddin'. Your point is well taken.
Privileged: "My bike is expensive. I didn't want it to get stolen...buy my kid a snow cone."
"Portland has too many whiny babies like you..." Indeed.
There's just one thing, anon: your bike being expensive basically means dick in this situation. Plenty of people with expensive bikes park them in crowded places all the time; I get you were going to be on your way out, but don't pull the 'worried about your bike being stolen' card because you aren't the only one who has a nice enough bike worth stealing.
Or chain it to Wm. Steven Humphrey! Steven better!
@ Cry Anonymous
You know who else likes misplaced bike chains and anal?
Your Mom.