Back in December, we told you about the Metrorail Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Improvements Study, which recommended ways for enhancing bicycle and pedestrian access in and around Metrorail stations. Since then, Metro has been developing a capital program aimed at implementing some of these recommendations. Here is an update on our progress and some discussion on what’s next:
Recent Highlights
In February, Metro’s Board of Directors adopted a goal to increase bike mode share from 0.7% to 2.1% by 2020 and 3.5% by 2030. Around the same time, we made improvements to the bicycle section on Metro’s website. This spring, we surveyed use and capacity of bike racks at Metrorail stations and conducted an inventory of unmet bike and pedestrian needs at Metrorail stations.
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Bicycle access is a key long-term access strategy to Metro’s services, and we are currently trying to triple the number of bicyclists accessing our network by 2020. As we develop plans for capital investment in bicycle and pedestrian facilities, we need good data on bicycle parking demand to tailor new facilities to each station. Our most recent bike parking counts were from 2006-2007, but a lot has happened since then.
So, taking a cue from from trail count data, we counted bikes and racks at rail stations over a six-week window of peak usage from May 1 to June 15 for a “bike parking census.” Each station was counted on a sunny, warm day typically between 9:30am and 3:00pm. We wanted to learn about the general availability of and demand for bike parking in station areas. For these counts, we specifically excluded bike lockers and the Union Station Bikestation, and focused just on racks. We wanted to know how easy it would be for a new bike-to-rail customer to easily find bike parking near a station. We counted each U-Rack as space for 2 bikes, and used our best judgment for wave, grid, post-and-ring, and other racks.
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We are looking for a Project Manager, who will be located in our Office of Parking – which has taken on a broader mantle to include non-auto parking management (i.e., bicycles) – to coordinate bicycle and auto-related parking projects, as well as pedestrian access projects here at Metro. The project manager will coordinate all aspects of implementation – design and engineering review, environmental review, and construction coordination. The project manager’s project portfolio will be heavily influenced by the projects identified in the Planning Office’s recent bicycle & pedestrian access needs inventory. This is a great opportunity to make a solid impact on bike, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure in our region. To see the full job description and apply, please go to our careers website, and see posting 110834.
Applicants will need to register with our on-line system to apply. The posting is open through August 5.
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