Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective - Services: Intermodal Hub BikeStation

Services: Intermodal Hub BikeStation

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Services: Intermodal Hub BikeStation

"The Utah Transportation Enhancement Program is once again starting another round of selecting applications for Bike & Pedestrian Facilities, Roadway Beautification and preservation of Utah's surface transportation environment and history in our Counties, Cites and Town across the state."

With the hope of utilizing that funding source, the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective has set up a partnership with UTA Rideshare and the Salt Lake City Corporation to design and create a state of the art BikeStation at the up and coming Downtown Intermodal Hub. This service to the cycling community would be:

Another strong reason to declare Salt Lake City a Bicycle Friendly Community.
Clearly define the synergy between the bicycle and other public modes of transportation.
Keep up with the growing standard of BikeStations across the country. It is projected that 20 more will finish development in the next 3-5 years.

It is of no surprise that the cities who invested in BikeStations, and similar endeavors, are the same ones we think of as being bike and pedestrian friendly. So this isn't a new idea, it is a proven idea.

Soon, as you probably already know, the Intermodal Hub will be the transportation junction for Salt Lake City. It will connect the commuter rail from Ogden, existing TRAX, Amtrak, Greyhound, and eventually going a TRAX line to the Airport. This creates an excellent opportunity to showcase the bicycle as one of the major methods of transportation in Utah. In fact, the design of the Intermodal Hub has always included a bike facility. Currently the Intermodal Hub is transitioning ownership from the Salt Lake City Corporation to UTA.

What is the purpose of a BikeStation?

According to bikestation, the purposes are to:

Improve bicycle and transit linkages
Provide transportation options
Encourage alternative commutes
Improve mobility
Reduce vehicular emissions and congestion
Enhance community livability

Thinking BIG:

Bicycle Check. Most people are not going to leave their bikes outside for fear of theft of weather, locker or not. As a result, having an indoor facility under a watchful human eye has always been the ideal. With peace of mind cyclists would be able to leave their bikes, potentially overnight.

Showers (& Lockers?). Not every business put in showers for their employees yet. This way anyone in the Free Fare Zone, whether they are a cyclist or now, could get to a shower. This would help the sweaty cyclist, and encourage other activities like the lunch time jog / workout. In the bigger picture, this promotes healthy active lifestyles. Perhaps showers could be added as a bonus of the Eco-pass, and companies could purchase shower time for all their employees.
Bike Maintenance and Repair. Envision a professional shop facility on the way to and from work. Not much imagination is needed here, not only would you be able to leave your bike, but also have someone take a look at it, get parts, and fix it when you are at work. Behind the scenes, this would be a smaller repair facility, which would work closely with nearby shops to provide repair services.
Communting Accesories. Forget fenders on a rainy day, fear not. This would only offer the basics for getting around town in a safe and comfortable way.
Rentals. Simple rentals of brand new bicycles for tourist or local use. The collective gets calls all the time asking, "I am in town for a little while, do you rent bikes." This would be the answer to that question. Imagine: You just fly into SLC for the first time, take the TRAX line to the Intermodal Hub, and you have the immediate option to not rent a car, but a bicycle.
Cycling Resources. Resources and knowledgeable staff to answer common commuter questions, route planning, things to see, maps, etc. This could also double as a small call center, where people could call for cycling advice.
Tours. Dear Tourists: Forget the vans, the best way to experience the sights and sounds of Salt Lake City is by bicycle, from the Intermodal Hub you can take cycling tours or maybe even have a custom tour created for your group.
Youth Employment. This could also be an excellent opportunity to professionally train and give a skilled job venue to some of Salt Lake City's Youth Employment Programs. The publicity for using these resources and the good it would do -- just think of the PR implications.
Jordan River Parkway. While certainly not the primary focus, there is the potential to position the Cyclist Center as a stop on the Jordan River Parkway for recreational riders. Either for emergency repairs, mainly flats, or advice.

Possible Concerns:

Location. As it stands today the location of the Intermodal Hub is not a cyclists' destination. However the completion of this project would coincide with the addition of TRAX, Commuter Rail, and access to the Jordan River Parkway. Also the Intermodal Hub is slated to be easily accessible to cyclists with proper bike lanes and road considerations.
Financial Sustainability. After this funding source runs out, how will it survive? Historically for-profit bike store would not find ideal profitability, while the small revenue generated by the services (listed above) coupled with additional grant writing would be enough to sustain a non-profit such as the Bicycle Collective.
Competition with Bike Shops. We would not be selling new bikes, and realistically we would not have the space to store parts for major repairs, as a result we would actually work with nearby bike stores for major repairs. Bike rentals and/or tours are currently not done downtown either. See also Financial Sustainability (above) for other reasons.

Are there any Bikestation® consultants we could use?

Yes, The BikeStation Coalition does. Here are some of their materials:

Marketing Brochure 2006 (711 KB)