Metro Unveils First Enclosed Bike Storage at College Park Station

Metro officially unveiled its first enclosed, card-accessible Bike & Ride storage facility on Tuesday morning at the College Park-University of Maryland station, a win for bicycle and public transit commuters.

Shane Farthing, executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, said this isn’t the first effort by Metro to encourage bike commuting—“but it does indicate a shift,” he said at the Tuesday morning press conference.

The 2,400-square-foot structure can hold more than 120 bikes. Riders can purchase a card that provides access to the walk-in facility for $20. After the initial $5 first-use registration cost, rental rates range between 2 and 5 cents per hour, depending on the time of day.

Kristin Haldeman of the Office of Long Range Planning said that the College Park station was prime for Metro’s first Bike & Ride facility, because of high ridership, space, and significant bike theft that’s occurred at that location.

The College Park station saw 18 bike thefts in both 2010 and 2011, according to Metro Spokeswoman Caroline Lukas.

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While Metro said in a press statement that it hopes to triple the number of cyclists who ride to stations by 2020, Farthing said a sense of security is important for encouraging bike commuting.

“We won’t travel if we’re afraid our bikes will be stolen or vandalized,” Farthing said.

The facility cost $425,000, which includes design and construction, Haldeman said. Most of the space is populated by arched bars to which bikes can be secured. There is also a handful of two-level racks that allow for double stacking of bikes. Haldeman said Metro plans to install more of those racks if they are well received, expanding the capacity of bike storage.

Security cameras and an emergency callbox were also installed in the facility. A bike repair stand and tools are outside the structure.

Metro announced at the press conference the next two stations slated for Bike & Ride facilities are Vienna and King Street in Virginia.

About a dozen testers participated in a trial run for the facility over recent weeks. It was a time for Metro to work out any last kinks, with a special focus on making sure the door and key worked properly, Haldeman said.

“Luckily, we really didn’t have any [kinks],” though feedback did lead to clarification of the registration process, she said.

The Bike & Ride structure is provided by BikeLink, which has about 150 facilities throughout the country, according to Steven Grover of eLock, creators of BikeLink.

The College Park station is the first public BikeLink facility on the East Coast, Grover said.

Purchase a BikeLink card online or call 888-540-0546. The card arrives in the mail. Visit the Metro website for more information.

The new facility is unveiled during the national Bike to Work week. College Park and the will host a bike commuter pit stop at on Friday, Bike to Work Day. .