WMATA Looking for Feedback on Accessing Secure Bike Parking

[WillStewart]

Justin,

This is a breath of fresh air that will greatly encourage more people to bike to (and use) Metro. Kudos, and we look forward to this being replicated across the rest of the metro stops.

To be fair, I believe bicycle parking should have some fees associated with them, though since bikes take up so little space and the region is struggling with road expansion costs and meeting air quality standards that increased bike/Metro use would reduce, those fees should be modest. Hence, my choice would be;

* SmarTrip card, annual and usage fees – Like the option above, except that the registration fee is reduced (perhaps $10), and a small fee (say, 15 cents) is deducted from your SmarTrip account when you tap your card at the door

Having engineered surveillance systems, I can understand how the combination of recorded CCTV and registered facility entry can go a long way towards tracking down any thieves that try to game the system. And video analytics can help detect the ‘tailgating’ or ‘piggybacking’ you were referring to earlier. http://www.newtonsecurityinc.com/faq.html

Perhaps one sign on the door that might prove effective would be “Don’t allow strangers to enter with you, so that we can maintain tight security. Failure to follow this policy can result in your access being revoked.”

Due to the impending global oil production peak, please plan and design for incremental expansion. As one example, here’s one railway bike parking lot in Gronigen, Netherlands that has 6500 parking spaces, which was expanded over time;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIxslImhdHM

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[WillStewart]

I’m a bit surprised that many others haven’t commented. Do few people here actually connect to Metro? Might not our suggestions be helpful in the light of the large untapped bike-to-Metro potential out there?

[Tim Kelley]

Even though I don’t live anywhere close to College Park, I filled out the survey with my preferences as a cyclist but didn’t comment on this thread until…now!

[WillStewart]

Alright, you got me, I didn’t see the actual survey on the linked page until I scrolled down…

[eminva]

This is also a topic of great interest to me, seeing as how my bike was stolen at a metro station three years ago! I also filled out the survey but will expand here, in case Justin is following —

I can’t add much to Will’s well thought out and informed comments. I do like controlled access and would not object to a modest fee, either per use, per year or combo.

At my office, we have a bike locker and you have to get your badge activated to get access. They keep a list of people with access so I assume this adds a layer of security — if a bike is stolen, presumably it would be an “inside job.” If WMATA is adding video surveillance on top of that, all the better.

After my bike was stolen, I got a bike locker. Even though I usually ride all the way to work, I kept the bike locker for convenience. However, the recent price increase is too much for me so I will give up the locker when it is next up for renewal. Therefore, think about cost carefully so you don’t price it above what the market is willing to pay. I am considering adding an “errand bike” to my fleet for days I have to leave the bike at the metro station — something modest enough that it wouldn’t be real attractive to thieves and that I would not be terribly sad about having stolen.

Whatever you do, please add more bike parking at Vienna station (north side)! As it is, there is so little space at the racks that people park bikes to anything vertical in the general vicinity. We definitely need more racks.

Thanks!

Liz

[Justin Antos]

Thanks everyone for their feedback and ideas! I’ve posted a quick update on our thought process and decision since then.

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