New Berkeley Bike Station nearly quadruples bike storage capacity
Written by jrood
Regional Transportation District It's never been easier to bike it, park it and BART it in Berkeley, Calif., thanks to the newly opened bike station at street level above the Downtown Berkeley Station. The new bike station at 2208 Shattuck Avenue provides safe and secure parking for up to 268 cyclists. It replaces the cramped, outmoded bike parking area on the concourse level and dramatically increases the bike storage capacity.
"The new bike station
will quadruple the capacity of the former bike station, making it the second
largest bike station in the United States," BART Board Vice President Bob
Franklin said. "Also, by relocating it up to the street level, the
Berkeley bike station will now be accessible 24 hours a day to all members of
the community, not just BART riders."
"This bike station is
a significant addition to Berkeley, which is already recognized as one of the
most bike-friendly, environmentally committed cities in the nation,"
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said. "The City is proud to partner with BART in
providing this facility to foster a clean, green transportation
alternative."
The Berkeley bike station
is a partnership between BART and the City of Berkeley and the bicycle
community of the East Bay. It’s operated under contract by Alameda Bicycle,
which operates BART’s bike stations at Embarcadero and Fruitvale stations.
Other highlights of the new
facility:
* Bike Parking Capacity:
268 bike spaces;
155 spaces in triple-decker racks in
the valet assisted parking area;
113 spaces in the smart-card
self-park area with double-tier (lift-assist) racks and vertical racks.
* Free valet bike parking
from Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
* 24-hour Smart-card
self-park area; access by using Bikelink card.
* Security cameras.
* Restrooms for smart-card
self-park users.
* Alameda Bicycle retail
area with bike repairs (fees vary), same-day repairs available.
* Free bike safety-check
inspections, estimates.
* Commuter bikes,
accessories and equipment for sale.
* Rental bikes equipped
with commuter gear – innovative program to rent-to-own bikes.
* Office space for the East
Bay Bicycle Coalition.
The new bike station is a
significant improvement over the bike station in the concourse level, which has
offered free, secure bike storage since 1999 but has grown cramped and
overcrowded over time. It was designed to accommodate between 70 and 80 bikes.
Recently, demand has been so high that the number of bikes stored often
approached 100 with many bikes parked on racks outside the station. The new
Berkeley Bike Station was designed to accommodate the high demand for commuter
bicycles at the Downtown Berkeley BART station and within downtown Berkeley
itself. The new bike station helps bikers abide by the rules BART has in place
to prevent overcrowding on trains during our peak commute hours. Providing
free, secure bike storage helps make it feasible for cyclists to respect BART’s "blackout periods."
Making the Berkeley Bike
Station a reality has been a collaborative effort. Constructions costs totaled
about $765,000 with funding as follows:
* $496,784 from the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s "Safe Routes To Transit" program.
* $80,000 from a Federal
Transit Administration grant.
* $130,000 from the State
of California Public Transportation Modernization, Improvement and Service
Enhancement account.
* $50,000 from BART Capital
funds.
