A few days ago I received an email from Rachel MacKnight, the Media Relations person for Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). She got in touch because of a post made last week that brought their bike parking facilities into question. She also included more information about how the new tram will handle bicycles.
According to MacKnight, bicyclists are encouraged to use the tram and it was actually designed with cyclists in mind. She adds:
“…at the tram’s upper station, cyclists will be able to exit by way of an exterior walkway from the 9th floor terrace of the OHSU Hospital expansion down to a staircase at the 7th floor terrace, and out on to Sam Jackson Park Road. The stair case has been designed with a special bike gutter on both sides to allow for up and down bike traffic. The tram’s lower station in the South Waterfront will include 18 bike rack spaces.”
She then goes on to defend OHSU’s number of bike parking spaces and explain that they are adding more in the future:
“When surveyed, between two and five percent of OHSU employees say they ride their bikes to work. That translates into between 176 to 440 employees who are bicycle commuters. Not including bike parking at its three new buildings and the tram, OHSU has 263 bike lockers and racks as well as six bike banks for its bicycle commuters. New spaces for bicycles are being added as OHSU expands. All told, OHSU will have about more than 420 bike lockers and racks as well as six bike banks for cyclists.”
And here’s some new information about how bikes figure into the upcoming South Waterfront development:
“Also in the South Waterfront, a total of 83 new bicycle parking spaces will be available at the OHSU Center for Health & Healing when it opens later this year. Twenty-one bike rack spaces are planned on the ground floor and two locked bike parking facilities will provide 62 spaces on the first and second levels of OHSU’s new parking garage underneath the building.”
“OHSU’s new wellness center in the South Waterfront will offer a special membership category similar to the one now offered by the OHSU Sports and Fitness Center on Marquam Hill for OHSU employees who commute to work by bike. Cyclists with this membership will be able to use showers and locker rooms in the wellness center. ”
And apparently they have a few perks for bike commuters:
“OHSU offers a cash incentive to folks who bike to work – $50 for every 35 rides to OHSU. The university also offers free tube and tire repair for OHSU employees who are bicycle commuters.”
And about bike theft:
“In 2006, there have been no reported thefts of bikes or items from bikes on OHSU property.”
So now we have the the official word from an OHSU spokesperson. Somewhere between this and the information from a former employee lies the truth about OHSU’s bike friendliness.