BART installs new bike racks inside 19th St./Oakland Station
Written by jrood
The latest step in BART's efforts to improve facilities for bicyclists is a set of spiffy double-deck racks that can hold 64 bikes inside the 19th St./Oakland, Calif., Station. Previously, the only option for bicyclists who wanted to store bikes near the station were the city-owned racks located outside on the street level, which were often filled beyond capacity.
The new racks are located
on the concourse level (the same level as the fare gates) outside the paid area
near the 19th Street entrance to the station. There are two lightly used
stairways near 19th Street and Broadway that provide direct, easy access to the
new in-station racks. Or bicyclists can use the station elevator. Bikes are not
allowed on escalators. Since bikes are not allowed inside the paid area of the
station during peak commute hours, these racks provide a convenient alternative
to taking bikes on the train (folding bikes are allowed at all times).
These racks have an extra
"green" touch: they are recycled from a previous life at the Downtown
Berkeley Station where they were used in an attended parking facility. They
have been retrofitted (so bikes can be locked to them) and refurbished for use
at 19th Street. The facility at Downtown Berkeley has been relocated to a
street level retail space in partnership with the City of Berkeley.
BART provides bike parking
at all but two stations (Powell Street and San Francisco International Airport)
and has a total of about 4,500 bike parking spots available in three general
types: racks (about 3,000 spaces), lockers (about 1,000 spaces) and bike
stations (about 500 spaces).
"We are continuously
expanding bike parking as demand requires and funding is available," said
Steve Beroldo of BART’s Customer Access Department, and the staff liaison to
the BART Bicycle Task Force. "We also partner with a number of cities who provide
bike parking directly adjacent to stations."
