Metro reports higher bike rack use

But they don't have any hard numbers

Officials say there are more bicycles filling up bike-racks at stations as well.

With plans to increase parking

While ridership has grown at almost all of Metro’s end-of-the-line stations, parking use has dropped slightly as more riders rely on bicycles and commuter buses to reach the stations, officials said. “Racks are seeing quite a bit of use at a number of stations: Vienna, West Falls Church, East Falls Church, Silver Spring, West Hyattsville, Braddock Road, King Street and Cleveland Park, to name a few,” Metro planning chief Nat Bottigheimer said. “In some cases, racks are well over capacity and cyclists are locking bikes to any stationary object.” Officials are developing plans to install more bike racks outside stations and are considering adding some to secure areas in parking garages.

Comments

[SteveH]

I'm surprised Takoma station was not mentioned along with the others. I am now on a waiting list behind 15 people for a bicycle storage locker. At Takoma, it's likely that the absence of a parking garage contributes to increased ridership, which is a great thing. Why extend parking when you can get people onto their bikes?

[RideTheWomble]

Don't count on Metro's ability to manage that waiting list. The evidence I saw while getting my locker at East Falls Church tells me they have no idea which lockers are occupied, when they expire, or whether the old renter has vacated.

At best, they have an old folder stuffed with a possibly incomplete set of contracts. There's no active management of the lockers. It's readily apparent the program has been passed around Metro as a secondary duty, and that nobody has held the hot potato for much more than a couple of months in a row. It's a mess, and it needs to be fixed.

As for increased bike rack use, I bet that's an anecdotal statement. There's no way they care enough to actually track usage objectively.

[SteveH]

I agree with your points. I was told by their coordinator that they were "in the process" of switching to an internet-based locker rental system, but that might require actual work. It's really sad because the demand is obviously there (although there's no way to track it).

[bike storage racks]

Hi,
Very nice post.I agree with your points. I also like the bike race.