Saturday, January 9, 2016
Bike Parking Planned at Reston Town Center Metro Station
The Fairfax County Planning Commission will vote on plans for the Reston Town Center Metrorail station on Wednesday, January 13. There will be 20 short term car parking spaces, 28 bike racks (56 bikes), and 6 bike lockers at the station. We think there should be more bike parking.
Compare the capacity of 62 bikes at the Town Center station to the Wiehle-Reston East station. On the north side, the Charlie Strunk bike room has capacity for over 200 bikes and the free, covered bike room can hold approximately 36 bikes. According to a bike count we conducted at the Wiehle station from July 31 to September 3, 2014, an average of 76 bikes/day were parked on the north side.
Bike racks at the Town Center station, surrounded by much more residential and commercial density than the Wiehle station, will like be filled once the station opens. Some cyclists who currently ride to the Wiehle station will want to ride to the Town Center station and since the station is over a quarter mile from the Town Center and major development planned north of there, biking to the station will be an appealing option.
Bike lanes on Sunset Hills Rd, which leads to the station, are included in the Bicycle Master Plan and depicted on the station plan. The bike racks are located near the road so access should be easy, but the details of that access need to be well-thought out, which was not the case at the Wiehle station.
Below are comments submitted to the Planning Commission:
Reston Town Center station design, SE 2015-HM-024, PRC 86-C-121-05, 2232-H15-10.
Given the success of the Wiehe-Reston East Metro station bike room and free, covered bike parking, I think the RTC station should have more and better bike parking. The Wiehle station has bike parking capacity on the north side of nearly 250 bikes. The Town Center station, surrounded by much more residential and commercial density, will have a capacity of 62 bikes which will likely be filled from day one. According to our bike count at the Wiehle station from July 31 to September 3, 2014, an average of 76 bikes were parked on the north side.
If no additional bike parking is provided WMATA should ensure that additional bike parking will be added where the racks are currently located (through a double-decked system), or that racks will be added in other locations.
Bike access to the Wiehle bike room was not well planned. WMATA needs to identify the precise path that bicyclist will follow to the station, provide clear wayfinding signage to bike parking, and reduce conflicts with motorists and pedestrians.
The county has funds to begin to implement bike sharing in Reston. It is only logical that a bike share station be located at the Town Center station. It's a long walk to the Town Center and parts north which will be redeveloped soon. There should be a location dedicated to a bike share station at the RTC station.
Given the success of the Wiehe-Reston East Metro station bike room and free, covered bike parking, I think the RTC station should have more and better bike parking. The Wiehle station has bike parking capacity on the north side of nearly 250 bikes. The Town Center station, surrounded by much more residential and commercial density, will have a capacity of 62 bikes which will likely be filled from day one. According to our bike count at the Wiehle station from July 31 to September 3, 2014, an average of 76 bikes were parked on the north side.
If no additional bike parking is provided WMATA should ensure that additional bike parking will be added where the racks are currently located (through a double-decked system), or that racks will be added in other locations.
Bike access to the Wiehle bike room was not well planned. WMATA needs to identify the precise path that bicyclist will follow to the station, provide clear wayfinding signage to bike parking, and reduce conflicts with motorists and pedestrians.
The county has funds to begin to implement bike sharing in Reston. It is only logical that a bike share station be located at the Town Center station. It's a long walk to the Town Center and parts north which will be redeveloped soon. There should be a location dedicated to a bike share station at the RTC station.
Comments:
Wow, that's way too low. Knowing that bikeshare will be at this station they should incorporate more covered bike parking as well. Sadly Wiehle station will be short on bike parking when they convert their covered parking to bikeshare stations.
Let's see:
--No auto parking (other than K&R--20 spaces)
--No bike share
--No access to the ped bridge from the south side, so Reston southsiders have to cross the hugely congested DTR corridor to get to a gate.
Hell, why build the pedestrian bridges across the DTR to the station at all? Then station access will be perfect!
--No auto parking (other than K&R--20 spaces)
--No bike share
--No access to the ped bridge from the south side, so Reston southsiders have to cross the hugely congested DTR corridor to get to a gate.
Hell, why build the pedestrian bridges across the DTR to the station at all? Then station access will be perfect!
# posted by 
: January 13, 2016 at 9:40 AM
: January 13, 2016 at 9:40 AM
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