The Morning Commute is an occasional look at meetings or other #BikeSpecific discussions happening in the District. It also looks at interesting bike ideas or concepts from other places across the globe that could possibly work around here. Maybe.
Continue reading “Morning Commute – 11/18”The Morning Commute is an occasional look at meetings or other #BikeSpecific discussions happening in the District. It also looks at interesting bike ideas or concepts from other places across the globe that could possibly work around here. Maybe.
During the Wednesday, November 7 D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC) meeting, the group discussed the proposed District Department of Transportation (DDOT) regulatory framework of rules regarding dockless bike sharing right-of-way permitting and related DDOT fees for potential operators.
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| Bikeep Station at the corner of D and 13 1/2 Street NW Image: BikeSpecific |
The Council of the District of Columbia Secretary send an email to workers in the John A. Wilson building, the District’s “City Hall”, about a new pilot bike parking program sponsored by Bikeep.
Bikeep’s CEO, Kristjan Lind visited the Wilson Building on Wednesday to discuss the program and answer questions.
Mr. Lind explained that Bikeep fills in gaps in the bike parking network where traditional bike parking fails. For example, Bikeep system is modular and doesn’t require installation in concrete to be effective, allowing administrators to easily add or remove bike parking stations. The system also allows schools and business that have abandoned bikes to easily remove those bikes just by using the system’s app.
Below is additional information conveyed in the government email:
What is Bikeep?
Bikeep was founded in 2013 in Tallinn, Estonia to encourage sustainable transportation alternatives options and increase security for bicycles. Bikeep offers a secure, connected, and integrated solution for bicycle parking to meet increased demand for bicycle parking. The system allows station sponsors to monitor and assess bicycle parking usage and statics through a customized admin portal. It also allows them to send automated messages to users. Currently, Bikeep is being used around the world, including by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in San Francisco.
Why is the Council installing a Bikeep station?
According to U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people using a bicycle to get to work nearly doubled in the District of Columbia, between 2010 and 2015. By 2015, the District was tied with San Francisco and trailed only Portland and Minneapolis with 4.0% of workers using a bicycle to get work every day. Bicycle commuters in the District increased to 4.3% in 2016. These figures are dramatically higher (16%) when “occasional cyclists” and those who use a bicycle to get part of the way to work before transferring to another form of public transportation are considered.
This increase in bicycle commuting, while exciting and beneficial, has also increased demand for bicycle parking. The existing bicycle racks on 13 ½ Street, NW are frequently occupied by non-Wilson Building employees and are inaccessible to District employees that commute via bicycles. Bikeep provides an innovative and technologically sophisticated solution to this problem.
How does it work?
During the initial pilot, the Bikeep station on 13 ½ Street, NW will utilize smartphone apps or call-in numbers to lock/unlock one’s bicycle. In the future, integration with Metro’s SmartTrip card is possible.
Bikeep’s easy-to-use app can be downloaded for free on iPhone and Android devices at the iTunes App Store and Google Play respectively.
What will it cost to park my bicycle in the Bikeep station?
During this pilot, Bikeep will be offered free-of-charge to employees in the Wilson Building. It is anticipated that future stations at the Wilson Building will be open to the general public without a fee. In commercial situations, Bikeep only charges for the purchase of the station. While a station can be restricted to certain users by the sponsor, there is never a charge to the users to park a bicycle.
Are Bikeep stations secure?
Yes. The locks used on Bikeep stations utilize a specially designed, industrial grade galvanized steel bar that is impossible to saw through. Bikeep stations are equipped with a security system that is triggered if a bicycle theft is attempted. The system features a loudspeaker and will forward distress signals to the appropriate local security service. Currently, Bikeep stations have been used for over 1 million parking sessions without a single theft.
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| Rendering of the proposed Providence Place development |
The Bike Estate scours local blogs and government websites for information about bike facilities in new, recently opened, or planned residential or commercial buildings. The following is recently-filed development applications with the D.C. Zoning Commission.
Progressive National Baptist Convention is the entity behind a unique and innovative residential development in an area of the District that typically is excluded from such change. Providence Place will be a five-story 100-unit building with one to four-bedroom units for residents making 60 percent of the area median income — or $65,520. Unique for construction in this area, the property will contain elements like bicycle parking and additional pedestrian amenities that help create links to the community. The property is currently an 18-space parking lot.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2018 with an anticipated completed date of March 2020.
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| Image: Providence Place |
The apartment will contain secure indoor bicycle parking, as well as short-term exterior bicycle parking amenities to accommodate and encourage bicycle use. Adjacent to the Marvin Gaye Trail and Watts Branch Creek, the building will have to a partially below-grade parking facility with 34 long-term spaced dedicated to bikes and 48 vehicle parking spaces and associated loading facilities. Six (6) short-term bicycle parking spaces in public space, which meets or exceeds the amount of parking required by District code.
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| Areas of interest nearby. Image – Progressive National Baptist Convention |
Thirty-five of the units will be replacement units for the Lincoln Heights and Richardson Dwellings properties located immediately north of the site. The building will be comprised of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, and 4-bedroom units. Eight of the nine 3-bedroom units and all of the 4-bedroom units will be replacement units.
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| Rendering of Providence Place |
The project includes a significant amount of public space improvements, including shade
trees and ground plane planting, decorative planters for seasonal display, street lights, and will be partially powered by solar panels. The All adjacent curb ramps and crosswalks will be improved to current DDOT accessibility standards if they do not currently comply.
Additional amenity spaces include primary and secondary residential lobbies, a business and fitness center, and a community room that will be made available to building residents and the broader community. The roof terrace on the lower northernmost roof level will made available to all of the building residents, and will provide spectacular views of the District’s skyline.
