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Poll: Will You Use the New Downtown Bike Station & Shop?

April 17, 2011 Bicycling, Downtown 22 Comments

Very soon downtown will have a commuter bike station and shop.

The station provides a place for cyclists who commute to shower and change clothes, leaving their bike securely parked indoors while they go off to work. Â The shop will provide sales & service.

The Downtown Bicycle Station will be 1,450 square feet, offering secure 24-hour access and featuring more than 100 bike racks, showers and locker rooms, ideal for those cyclists commuting to work. This new Downtown Bicycle Station will be next to a new 3,500 square foot full service bike shop that will offer all necessary bike equipment, repairs and bike rentals. Big Shark Bicycle Co., presently located in the Delmar Loop, plans to open this 2nd location, named Urban Shark, in Downtown St. Louis before the end of the year. (source)

But the location on Locust St between 10th & 11th has me concerned it is too far west of most downtown office workers, hopefully I will be proven wrong.

ABOVE: interior of the shop nearly complete on 4/14/2011

So the poll question this week is “Will you use the new downtown bike station & shop?” As always the poll is in the upper right corner of the blog.

- Steve Patterson

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Zenburger

If it ever opens! What’s the opening date again? Is it this year?
Zenburger

If it ever opens! What’s the opening date again? Is it this year?

http://urbanreviewstl.com/ Steve Patterson

It looks very close!
DJ

Mayor Slay tweeted today that the “soft opening” is April 21st. Unofficial Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/stlbikestation ) says grand opening is April 28th.

http://urbanreviewstl.com/ Steve Patterson

It looks very close!
http://twitter.com/toddon14th toddon14th

I live downtown so don’t need it from a commuting perspective. But, I do like the fact I have an option for leisure rides on nights and weekends, so I plan to patronize the shop!
http://twitter.com/toddon14th toddon14th

I live downtown so don’t need it from a commuting perspective. But, I do like the fact I have an option for leisure rides on nights and weekends, so I plan to patronize the shop!
Redmedicne

Do you know any info about the station as far as all of the services it provides, and more of interest what prices are for these services? I remember reading several articles about this several months ago when it was first announced, but your great blog reminded again. Let us know if you have any further details. Can’t wait to see it.
Redmedicne

Do you know any info about the station as far as all of the services it provides, and more of interest what prices are for these services? I remember reading several articles about this several months ago when it was first announced, but your great blog reminded again. Let us know if you have any further details. Can’t wait to see it.

DJ

I think this is the official site: http://trailnet.org/our-work/travelgreen Scroll to the bottom for the prices, membership form, and FAQ. There is also an unofficial Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/stlbikestation?sk=info

RobbyD

I too am someone who lives Downtown, but is very likely to frequent the bike shop side of the house.

If gas prices sustain higher levels, we are slowly positioning our City to handle and promote the increase in alternative transportation. No way large segments of the population stop driving, but rest assured many who didn’t bike will.

Bike centers, bike racks, bike lanes are some of those intangibles that go into making St. Louis grow again. It is projects like this that make those who complain of St. Louis’ inability to think big and think forward look less in touch with reality. Smart progressive ideals anchored in common sense midwestern work ethic. That’s how I see St. Louis.
RobbyD

I too am someone who lives Downtown, but is very likely to frequent the bike shop side of the house.

If gas prices sustain higher levels, we are slowly positioning our City to handle and promote the increase in alternative transportation. No way large segments of the population stop driving, but rest assured many who didn’t bike will.

Bike centers, bike racks, bike lanes are some of those intangibles that go into making St. Louis grow again. It is projects like this that make those who complain of St. Louis’ inability to think big and think forward look less in touch with reality. Smart progressive ideals anchored in common sense midwestern work ethic. That’s how I see St. Louis.
DJ

Mayor Slay tweeted today that the “soft opening” is April 21st. Unofficial Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/stlbikestation ) says grand opening is April 28th.
DJ

I think this is the official site: http://trailnet.org/our-work/travelgreen Scroll to the bottom for the prices, membership form, and FAQ. There is also an unofficial Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/stlbikestation?sk=info
http://profiles.google.com/jenniferwhatnot Jennifer What-not

There’s a market here, too, for people who live downtown and just want a convenient place to store their bike so they don’t have to schlepp it up and down or keep it in their living room.

I wish them the best of luck but I see it as a sort of chicken-egg situation. Without better bike facilities like this one, less people are inclined to bike. But if you open a facility like this and not enough people are using it, it may not be around long enough to have a good impact. I hope the region can find some funding to help keep them open for the first few years and give it time to take off. I’d like to see some education/enforcement action in the region, as well as investment in new bike facilities, before anyone gives up on STL biking. I hope no one takes a slow start to the bike commuter station as evidence that nobody bikes in St. Louis.
http://profiles.google.com/jenniferwhatnot Jennifer What-not

There’s a market here, too, for people who live downtown and just want a convenient place to store their bike so they don’t have to schlepp it up and down or keep it in their living room.

I wish them the best of luck but I see it as a sort of chicken-egg situation. Without better bike facilities like this one, less people are inclined to bike. But if you open a facility like this and not enough people are using it, it may not be around long enough to have a good impact. I hope the region can find some funding to help keep them open for the first few years and give it time to take off. I’d like to see some education/enforcement action in the region, as well as investment in new bike facilities, before anyone gives up on STL biking. I hope no one takes a slow start to the bike commuter station as evidence that nobody bikes in St. Louis.

JZ71

While I support biking, I have serious doubts about the viability of “private-club” bike stations, here and elsewhere (as opposed to employer-provided showers and/or parking). It all boils down to proximity and density. If I live or work within a couple of blocks, then yeah, it’s a great amenity, and one I’d consider paying for. But as distance increases, the value falls. Do I want to walk six blocks to work after my shower? Do I want to walk eight blocks from my loft, just to avoid having “to schlepp it up and down or keep it in their living room”?

RobbyD

Let’s see what happens. The obstacles you suggest for the station are probably understated. But given the size of this bike station, it wasn’t like built with supporting the entire Downtown biking popluation in mind.

RobbyD

We’ll see what happens. I haven’t seen the business plan, but this place isn’t very big. I believe I read where there are just over 100 spots for bikes? (I could be wrong.) If that’s true, then participation by only .1% of the Downtown population would make this station a rousing success.

Anonymous

While I support biking, I have serious doubts about the viability of “private-club” bike stations, here and elsewhere (as opposed to employer-provided showers and/or parking). It all boils down to proximity and density. If I live or work within a couple of blocks, then yeah, it’s a great amenity, and one I’d consider paying for. But as distance increases, the value falls. Do I want to walk six blocks to work after my shower? Do I want to walk eight blocks from my loft, just to avoid having “to schlepp it up and down or keep it in their living room”?
RobbyD

We’ll see what happens. I haven’t seen the business plan, but this place isn’t very big. I believe I read where there are just over 100 spots for bikes? (I could be wrong.) If that’s true, then participation by only .1% of the Downtown population would make this station a rousing success.
RobbyD

Let’s see what happens. The obstacles you suggest for the station are probably understated. But given the size of this bike station, it wasn’t like built with supporting the entire Downtown biking popluation in mind.

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Poll: Will You Use the New Downtown Bike Station & Shop?

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