Metro News Release
For immediate release: July 17, 2009
Metro seeks input from riders who bike or walk to Metro
Public invited to workshop July 22 to discuss bicycle, pedestrian improvements
Metro is hosting a public workshop on Wednesday, July 22, to obtain input from riders on how to improve bicycle and pedestrian access for people who bike or walk to Metro.
Metro planners are conducting a bicycle and pedestrian study this year to evaluate existing and projected bicycle and pedestrian demand and access to stations, and propose facilities to improve bicycle storage, such as key swipe-card entry bicycle cages in parking lots and double-deck parking for bicycles, as well as to identify “walk gaps” within ½ mile of stations.
Anyone interested in offering their input, including occasional bicyclists, walkers and people who are unsure about biking or walking to Metro, is encouraged to attend the workshop or provide feedback through the project Web site, http://www.tooledesign.com/metro.
The workshop will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. with a presentation at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, at Metro Headquarters, Lobby Level Meeting Room, 600 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC.
One of the main purposes of the study is to look at where Metro can make improvements to bicycle access where there is capacity to do so. “Metro doesn’t allow bicycles on Metrorail during rush hours because we don’t have the capacity for them during those busy times of day,” said Nat Bottigheimer, Metro’s Assistant General Manager of Planning and Joint Development. “We want the public’s help to identify opportunities for better accommodating cyclists at Metrorail stations, whether at the beginning or end of their trip. We welcome any suggestions for how we can do that.”
Earlier this year, Metro began replacing 350 old bicycle racks and installing an additional 300 new racks at Metrorail stations throughout the system as part of an effort to accommodate more cyclists who are using the Metrorail and Metrobus system.
Between 2002 and 2007, the number of cyclists biking to a rail station during the morning rush hours increased 60 percent to 1,550. With changes in land use, higher gas prices and constraints on parking, that number is expected to rise significantly during the next 25 years.
Metro has identified $45 million in bicycle and pedestrian improvements between 2011 and 2020 as part of its capital needs inventory, with investments focused on maintaining existing bicycle facilities, increasing bicycle parking capacity and improving connections to stations from local communities.
For more information about Metro’s Bike ‘N Ride program, visit http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/bike_ride.
Top 10 Metrorail stations accessed by bicyclists during weekday morning rush hours:
1. East Falls Church
2. Forest Glen
3. Medical Center
4. West Hyattsville
5. Dunn Loring
6. Braddock Road
7. Van Dorn Street
8. Rockville
9. Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan
10. Bethesda
Top 10 Metrorail stations accessed by pedestrians during weekday morning rush hours:
1. Mount Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center
2. Waterfront-SEU
3. Court House
4. U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo
5. Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan
6. Capitol South
7. Eastern Market
8. Columbia Heights
9. Dupont Circle
10. Van Ness-UDC
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Media contact for this news release: Angela Gates or Lisa Farbstein at 202-962-1051.
For all other inquiries, please call customer service at 202-637-7000.
News release issued at 10:18 am, July 17, 2009.