Bike Station Opens and Offers Free Parking to all Bikers

For months, bikers all over Berkeley have been watching a small storefront near the Downtown Berkeley BART with anticipation. The Berkeley Bike Station, which opened in June, offers free bicycle parking, and cheap repairs to any biker in the city. “Berkeley is a fantastic city for riding in, but bike theft is too common for many people to trust that their trusty steed will be around when they get back from class, from the city, or from a movie. The Berkeley Bike Station lets people leave their bikes for longer periods and still feel safe riding. Ultimately, we hope to encourage many people to ride more often and worry less,” said Jim Burakoff, manager of the Berkeley Bike Station. The Station replaced all Berkeley BART Station underground bike parking, and Burakoff says that the Station staff are, “definitely enjoying all the sun and fresh air up here!”

The Berkeley Bike Station is publicly funded, and is not the only bike station of its kind. Similar stations are set up at the Embarcadero and Fruitvale BART stations. “The Berkeley Bike Station is funded by BART, the City of Berkeley, Measure 2 bridge tolls, the US Department of Transportation, and Alameda County Congestion Management. They’ve hired Alameda Bicycle to manage and staff the stations because we’ve already been doing similar work here at Embarcadero, and at the Fruitvale BART for years,” explained Burakoff. The Stations have encouraged bikers to bike in Berkeley and around the Bay Area. “The average [number of bikes parked at the BBS] over the last ten business days has been 83.9.  For the first ten days in June it was 62.5. We’re definitely watching things climb over time. Pretty soon, we’ll need our third tier racks and a big rolling stairway to accommodate everyone,” said Burakoff. The increase in bikers has boosted Berkeley’s bike friendly reputation, and many people are utilizing the cities bike boulevards. In the United States, only one percent of trips are made by bicycle, and the Berkeley Bike Station is part of a spirited movement to increase those numbers.

The Bike Station is not only for commuters, however. The public is encouraged to utilize the free parking, and Berkeley High School students are also welcome. “We offer free parking for anyone, 7 AM to 9 PM, Monday through Friday. There’s an overnight fee of five dollars, but we don’t charge that until your second night. We also have a 24 hour self-service parking area that you can get about eight hundred hours of access to for only twenty bucks. Bike repairs aren’t free, but they’re reasonable.  We keep the bikes safe by keeping them separate from the main retail area and always having a valet or mechanic on duty between them and the general public.  When you leave the bike you get a ticket, and we use that to verify which bike is yours when you come to pick it up again,” explained Burakoff.

Bike stations are becoming more common all over the world, and similar stations have been opened in Washington DC, Spain, Germany, Brazil and Australia. In areas where bike theft is common, a safe place to leave a bicycle encourages travelers to choose the environmentally responsible mode of transportation with more peace of mind. “I definitely think [the Bike Station] should help people get out and bike a little more. A safe place to park your bike is a great incentive to bike to work or school,” said Taylor Jayquish, Sales Manager at Mike’s Bikes, “It’s a huge step forward to promote biking … it’s an awesome idea, and if more people are biking, hopefully it will help bike shops all over Berkeley.”

The Berkeley Bike Station has the potential to become an enormous asset to the community, and employees are already planning community outreach projects. “One thing coming up: we’ll be launching a small rental fleet over the next few weeks. The bikes will be preloaded with lights, locks, and other commuter gear; they’ll also be available for sale at a price that reflects how much they’ve been used,” added Burakoff.

Employees of the new station are hoping to inspire Berkeley residents to choose biking over driving whenever possible, and become more conscious of their power to choose how they transport themselves to work and school.

Photos:

• Bike Station (Phoebe Wong)