Photos of DC's new bike station

Cirrus · #1 10-19-2009, 05:22 PM

DC opened its new bike station earlier this month. The station is adjacent to Union Station (Metro, commuter trains, Amtrak, etc) and offers secure indoor bike parking, bike rentals, lockers, a repair shop, and a changing room.

All photos are mine.

fflint · #2 10-19-2009, 08:46 PM

Nice-looking facility!

Regarding the showers and changing area, is the idea people will cycle from wherever over to that station, clean up, and take the Metro (or walk) as the last leg of their trip to work?

202_Cyclist · #3 10-19-2009, 09:42 PM

^ Hopefully H.R. 863, sponsored by Rep. Blumenauer, passes so people could get the reimbursement for bicycle commuting expenses and the transit subsidy in the same month. Here's the link for the legislation: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.863: .

I need to check this facility out over lunch one day. It is amazing how many people are now commuting to work via bicycle in the past 1-2 years here in DC. I went to the Jazz in the Sculpture Garden last summer and the perimeter fence at the Sculpture Garden was completely lined with bicycles. The bike racks here at work are full every day when the weather is agreeable.

Cirrus · #4 10-19-2009, 09:46 PM

That's the idea, fflint.

SFUVancouver · #5 10-19-2009, 11:10 PM

Great photos. Thanks for posting them. I am definately feeling bike-facility envy.

ardecila · #6 10-19-2009, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fflint

Nice-looking facility!

Regarding the showers and changing area, is the idea people will cycle from wherever over to that station, clean up, and take the Metro (or walk) as the last leg of their trip to work?

That's how the facility in Chicago works, although they picked an odd location for it (Millennium Park).

I really love this DC one. From what I understand, it was also fairly cheap (I heard 8 million?). For that price, there should be way, way more of these things interspersed throughout downtown DC and really every other city with a good bike culture. In DC, I imagine it would be awesome to put one in that little plaza above Metro Center, as well as one in L'Enfant Plaza somewhere.

202_Cyclist · #7 10-20-2009, 12:42 AM

I think the price was closer to $3M but Cato and Rep. Cantor still found that price outrageous.

Gordo · #8 10-20-2009, 12:57 AM

What's the total capacity for bike parking?

Looks very nice, and I'm very jealous.

ardecila · #9 10-20-2009, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

I think the price was closer to $3M but Cato and Rep. Cantor still found that price outrageous.

That figures; Cato is only a few blocks away, right? Give it a year and we'll see how many of their workers are using the bike station (in nice weather).

202_Cyclist · #10 10-20-2009, 02:40 AM

Ardecila-- here was Cato's criticism of this facility (http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/...r-a-bike-rack/ and here was my response to it on a local blog:

"it is more than a little disingenuous of those on a certain side of the political spectrum to constantly argue that District residents are afforded no voting rights under the US Constitution because it is a federal entity and then to complain about every cent the federal government spends on alternative transportation and transit in DC."

ColDayMan · #11 10-20-2009, 03:03 AM

Wonderful.

My city (Dayton) is also doing one of those bike stations/showers/lockers.

http://www.metroparks.org/Parks/Rive...ePhaseIII.aspx

But that DC one...jealous!