Ballston Bike Station

Commuter Page had some new info on the Ballston Bike Center.

The Ballston Bike Center & Commuter Store project will triple the number of bike parking spaces at the Ballston Metro plaza to 150 as well as shelter the bikes from the elements.

The Ballston Bike Center will provide a kiosk with the new bike map (which is presently in design) as well as information on the BikeArlington program. There will also be a bench for cyclists to sit while preparing for their ride home. Ambient light will shine through the clear shelter, however, additional solar-powered LED lights will provide more security.

Finding American vendors of bike shelters is difficult as the market is not developed. Most bike shelters in the U.S. are bus shelters converted for the use of bikes. Look around most Metro stations with bike parking and you'll see what I mean. In wanting to both have an aesthetic design as well as to help the fledgling American bike shelter industry, we're working with Creative Metalworks of Oregon. Bike circle racks will also be provided for additional parking.

The racks will be double-decker, for parking on two levels. The bottom level will allow bikes to simply be rolled in and then locked to a fixed object with the cyclist's u-lock. The top level requires a handle to be pulled, rolling out the track, which then pivots 45 degrees downward towards the cyclist, allowing for easy placement of the bike. Reversing this process puts the bike in place for the cyclist to lock it up. The rack manufacturer is the German company, Josta.

Not quite as flashy as the Union Station Bike Station, significantly more existent than the Silver Spring Bike Station. I like it so far. I hope they don't go with the bike parking facility shown in the link though - with just the roof - and go with something more like the uvic shelter shown here - especially if the glass could be tinted to give the bikes some protection from the sun.