| Projects in the Spotlight 3 |
4th and King Bicycle Facility: Completing the First Mile
A few years ago, William Elison moved from Chicago to the Bay Area to take a job at Stanford. Once he made the decision to base himself in San Francisco, the choice of a Mission neighborhood apartment was easy. One reason for this choice was the feasibility of a bike-to-train commute that would eliminate the need to own a car. He rides his bicycle to the 4th and King Caltrain station every weekday. When the bicycle storage car isn’t full, he often takes his bicycle with him on board the train. However, when the bicycle spaces are filled on board, he has a backup plan using the free attended bicycle parking provided right on site, “I know that if all else fails, I can count on having a place to store my bike or even get it fixed while I am at work” said Mr. Elison. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) partnered with Caltrain to fund and build a one-stop-shop for bicycle repairs, attended parking, and parts. The project, developed in response to interest from bicyclists and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, was aimed at bicyclists who only needed bicycles for the first part of their of their commute to the Caltrain station (also known as the “first mile”). All agencies involved hoped to provide a convenient alternative to bringing bicycles on board. A core feature of the proposed facility was to allow bicyclists to drop off their bicycles and have them securely stored for the day.
The opening of the project was complicated by a 2006 court order that prevented the City of San Francisco from implementing any bicycle improvements in public rights of way until after the completion of an environmental study for the San Francisco Bicycle Plan. Nevertheless, partner agencies were able to work collaboratively to ensure the project was not delayed due to the injunction. Caltrain led implementation of the project, located on Caltrain property at 4th and King streets. With the City of San Francisco legally prevented from implementing bicycle improvements, Caltrain also procured and provided oversight for the operating vendor while SFCTA helped secure necessary funding. According to Oliver Gadja of the SFMTA, the 4th and King bicycle facility, which opened in 2007, was one of the few bicycle projects in San Francisco to proceed with implementation during the injunction, which was not fully lifted until the middle of 2010. The project required close coordination between agencies and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to ensure the design met the needs of all interested parties. The result of the effort is a facility offering more than 130 free, secure, and sheltered bicycle parking spaces as well as a full service bicycle shop. In the dry season, the facility averages more than 110 parked bicycles per day. Kash, owner of Warm Planet Bikes which currently operates the facility, said that he’s made a point to never turn away a bicyclist. Even when the parking area is over capacity (up to 30 overflow bicycles were reported one day in September 2010), he moves retail bicycles aside so that there is always room. The bicycles parked at the station are easing the demand on Caltrain, particularly trains during the morning peak heading in the southbound direction, allowing more space for those who need to bring their bicycles on board. Marisa Espinosa, with the San Mateo County Transit District (which operates Caltrain), has observed that the presence of the bicycle facility has influenced transportation decisions for some Caltrain riders who now opt to ride to 4th and King rather than the 22nd Street station. She notes that “the bicycle facility offers another option for commuters that want to ride their bicycles to access Caltrain.”
The facility also serves as a safety net for common bicycle commuting challenges caused by unforeseen circumstances. Mr. Elison described one such event on his way home from Stanford, “It was raining cats and dogs. I was able to leave my bike and rode Muni home. The next morning, I came back and got my bike on my way to work. I never worried about it being stolen.” Mr. Elison said that the 4th and King bicycle facility allows him to feel totally confident in not relying on a car for a commute: “I have blown flats a few times on my way to catch Caltrain. It is so easy to drop off my bike for the day and pick it up on my way home from work. There aren’t a lot of bike shops open in that area, especially at seven in the morning.” Project At A GlanceThe popularity of Caltrain’s passenger rail system with bicyclists led to a shortage of on-board bicycle storage. Overcoming numerous obstacles, SFCTA, SFMTA, MTC and Caltrain worked closely with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to fund and build a bicycle shop and attended bicycle parking facility. Located at Caltrain’s 4th & King Station, the facility offers free and secure parking for more than 130 bicycles as well as on-site bicycle repair services and a retail store. The facility, which opened in mid-2007, has been extremely popular with bicyclists, and has helped to relieve some of the demand to bring bicycles on board Caltrain. Funding: Design and ConstructionSFCTA: Federal Transportation Enhancement Activities $554,000; Transportation Fund for Clean Air, $200,000 Operations (3 years)MTC: Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, $300,000 For more information, visit the Warm Planet Bikes Web site. DOWNLOAD AS PDF | BACK TO SPOTLIGHT INDEX PAGE | BACK TO SFTP HOME PAGE |
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