Union “Bike” Station Rises
24 09 2008
You may have noticed this week that construction has begun on the new Bike Station that we mentioned back in June being built at Union Station. We have been big fans of the very cool looking glass shell ever since we first saw the first futuristic design renderings. The 1,700 sq-ft building right by the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and 1st Street NE is designed for bicycle parking and bike rentals.
During the first two months of construction, parts of First Street will be shut down, but it shouldn’t have an effect on pedestrian traffic. The glass structure designed by KGP Studios will be able to accommodate up to 150 bikes, which is nothing compared to the facilities in European cities that can have upward of a thousand bikes, but it is moving our city in the right direction. We are really getting excited about this thing which should be open by next Spring.
What do you guys think about it?
Great design. Architectural design and urban design. It would be cool if smartbikes were included with this project. It isn’t, although Union Station is planned to have a smartbike kiosk somewhere…
Looks great, but does not appear to do anything to solve the most serious problem with bike parking at Union Station, namely, security. What about putting a big bike parking area inside the multi-level garages? Not sure if the garages are monitored, but at least it would force thieves to enter an enclosed space where it’s harder to get away in a hurry.
can you describe how this functions differently than a normal bike rack, other than the roof?
Well, security for one thing. You don’t have to worry about picking up your bike with a missing front wheel. Second, it will offer repairs, tune-ups, etc. Third, it will offer bike rentals, not like SmartbikeDC, I’m guessing by the day.
And it will have a much larger capacity. Have you seen the racks at Union Station? It’s a big blob of metal and rubber. Seriously 2-3 bikes on every rack…
I think it is more like a “valet” service too, but I could be wrong.
Are you naysayers kidding? Its 1,000 better and more welcoming than what’s there now. I’d feel more comfortable sitting down for a meal or seeing an entire movie with my bike parked here.
With the current set up, I’m afraid to leave my bike for more than 10 minutes.
Tim, hundreds of us leave our bikes parked there every day- although I’d probably not leave a bike there overnight like many people do.
naysayers?
who is dissing this?
So exactly why does 1st street have to close for this to be built from the depiction it isnt going to be blocking first street; and secondthe could have upgrade the sidewalk to make the it so that it is easy for people in wheel chairs to get on to it; since the flat area is now blocked off and you have to go to the crumbling crosswalk where a wheel chair, stroller etc. might have problems.
[…] months into the construction of the futuristic Bike Station next to Union Station and there really isn’t much progress to report, as you can see. The […]
[…] If they’re daring, maybe they rent bikes (I did in Amsterdam, and in Santa Catalina). Do you think that Desolate rents a car when he visits Stockholm, Dublin, or Munich? Why, then, would he insist on driving around Philadelphia, especially Center City? We should absolutely be encouraging tourists to use alternate modes of transportation. I know D.C.’s Union Station has a new, highly visible, bike rental kiosk right outside the station. We should do something similar (whatever happened to that plan to revamp the area around 30th & market? This would fit in beautifully) DC Metrocentric Union ?Bike? Station Rises […]