FABB Blog

 

Wiehle station bike room open house recap

Supervisor Hudgins rides in with cycle convoys

A large crowd checked out the Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail station bike room on Saturday. The day started with bike convoys converging on the station and then riding in together. Several local bike groups, including FABB, had information tables.

A common question people had concerned what is the best bike route to the station from their neighborhood. People are excited they will soon be able to ride to the station to take Metro to Tysons and points east.

As opposed to free parking at existing Park & Ride lots, car parking at the Wiehle station is going to cost nearly $5. A better option is to ride the short distance

Elected officials cut the ribbon on the Wiehle station garage and bike room

from home and either park your bike for free or reserve a spot in the bike room for $60/year plus a one-time fee of $15. Others can leave their bike overnight and use it to get to their destination once they arrive on Metro.

Several people obtained bike room memberships at the open house. So far, over 200 people have signed up. While there is currently space for just over 200 bicycles, the county will likely sell up to 300 memberships, knowing that not everyone will want to use the facility at the same time.

We think the coming of Metro to Reston is going to lead to major changes in how people think about getting around. Many people in this area rarely or never take public transportation. It's often easier, more convenient, and cheaper, for them to drive. Many residents in Reston have never ridden a Fairfax Connector bus. I

FABB's Kerie Hitt at our info table

spoke with someone yesterday who has lived in Reston for many years who has never taken Metrorail.

Fairfax County hopes more people will consider leaving their cars at home and taking public transportation. Several bus route changes are planned, including more frequent service on some routes serving the new stations. The only permanent car parking will be at the Wiehle station, but bike parking will be available at all the stations. Bike lockers can be rented by contacting WMATA (except for the lockers on the north side of the Spring Hill station).

We were asked by a few people if we were concerned about heavy traffic around the station. We'll be riding a bike, so while we will have to be much more careful at intersections around the station, we won't have to contend with most of the expected congestion.

For detailed information about the Silver Line stations, visit WMATA's SilverLineMetro.com.

Inside the bike room

Labels: Silver line, wiehle station bike room

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