Secure Bike Parking Just Cents Per Hour
At many locations in the Bay Area you'll find electronic, on-demand Bike Link locking facilities where you can park your bike securely for between 3 to 5 cents per hour! The lockers were created by eLock Technologies, which runs the Bike Link facilities.
While not ubiqutous just yet, one can see the amazing potential for this technology on the streets of New York City. Imagine a bike locker on every corner, not having to carry multiple heavy locks, and - most importantly - being able to ride even the most expensive model bike and know it'll be there when you return.
StreetFilms likes to dream, but seriously folks, this could be a moneymaker in NYC. I'd pay lots more than pennies per hour to lock my bike!
wow, what a fantastic system! it would be amazing to have that in NYC. maybe the inevitable critics of its cheapness would be satisfied if the price were based on a fraction of the parking meter prices...
Splendid video! BART intends to install 200 by November and Oakland
will soon open new elockers near the 20th and Broadway BART entrance. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition is advocating for additional installations. We want eLockers at all transit hubs and major destinations. Given the recent Macarthur Maze Collapse adding to the bike-transit passenger volume--filling available bike racks--we could really use more eLockers now!
This neat idea is really one of those slap your head, why didn't I think of that [...]
Just a quick post to let folks know there is lots of discussion going on about this post over on Streetsblog:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/05/14/streetfilms-bike-parking-for-just-pennies-per-hour/
I can look out my office window and see the Oakland bike locker right now. Strangely enough I only saw one bike in the whole structure on bike to work day last week. I have a rack in my building, but I'd consider using the lockers were it to fill up regularly or I just wanted to waste less time in the elevator to drop off my bike or go get it.
I still worry about theft and would feel a lot better if there were anything inside to lock to. I'm sure that is overkill and silly, but I really like my bike and fret over theft. Thanks for highlighting the stuff going on here in Berkeley and Oakland, and how good we've got it compared to so many other places.
I should note that today there were probably 4-5 bikes locked up when I left work. Perhaps they were noticed during BTW day? Now I might be less inclined to use them if my building's rack isn't full. I'd hate to ace someone out of a spot that I really didn't need.
i wish these bike lockers in my town
Sure lets put a 3'x6' box on every corner in Manhattan so that pedestrians will not be able to cross streets or move around. For those of you not totally blind , you may have notice that the density of Oakland pedestrian traffic and the availability of open space are not hallmarks of Manhattan. Even in Brooklyn and the Bronx the sidewalks are not wide enough to accommodate these boxes. What are your editors thinking? So where exactly would you put these bike stalls in Manhattan?
NYC is currently in a mode of forward thinking at the highest levels of the NYC DOT. What we would propose is a parking swap, take back parking spaces, widen the sidewalks in some spots and place some bike parking amenities wherever plausible.
Currently NYC's first stab at this going on in Brooklyn at Bedford Avenue. See streetsblog story here:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/12/22/small-step-for-pedestrians-giant-leap-for-nyc/
I'd like to see a tax credit to any parking garage that adds this option to it's car park business. NYC lacks the street space for the Bart style parking but I wish we could take a good bike up to the Met and lock it up and not worry.
Business and Common Law...
I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting...
re: tax credits... not necessary. San Francisco requires all parking garages to offer bike parking (racks and space, not necessarily this secure). In a garage, security is usually higher than on the street for both cars and bikes. The bike parking doesn't have to be free, however, but usually is (or is cheap).