County starts ‘Bus then Bike’ program

BOULDER – Boulder County is initiating a “Bus then Bike” program for commuters along the Diagonal Highway that connects Longmont and Boulder to provide bicycle riders secure shelters for their bikes.

The county has installed covered, card-key bike access shelters at 28th Street and Iris Avenue in North Boulder and at the Roosevelt Park and Ride in downtown Longmont to offer bike commuters long-term bicycle parking.

Cyclists who are interested in using the shelters must fill out an application at www.bouldercounty.org/work/getthere/pages/finalmileproject.aspx. A card-key access card will be mailed to them.

The two shelters will accommodate 30 bikes and are funded through a federal grant and county transportation funds and provide long-term, secure bicycle storage for commuters making connections to and from regional transit. Bicycles and accessories can be stored overnight close to the bus stop, allowing commuters to avoid lugging a bike on the bus each day.

“The card-key access will allow us to monitor how often people are using the shelters,´ said Scott McCarey, alternative transportation coordinator for Boulder County. “We don’t want this to become a storage locker. If they aren’t using it, we will ask them to remove their bike.”

The bike shelters are modular and can be erected on any parking lot. One parking spot will accommodate 12 bike spaces, and the county is looking at other places in the city to install them.

“If a grocery store replaces one parking spot with twelve bike spaces, we feel that’s good PR for them,´ said McCarey. “Only one-third of employees in the city of Boulder are within walking distance of a bus stop. We want to make it easier for people to take the bus more often.”

For more information on the shelters, contact the Boulder County Transportation Department at 303-441-3900 or transportation@bouldercounty.org.

on Facebook on LinkedIn