(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland unless noted)
Generally speaking, Portland does bike parking better than any city in North America. And one of the continent’s biggest bike parking projects is about to open in the middle of it.
The Lloyd Cycle Station, which opens to the public next month in the basement of the Lloyd 700 Building at 700 NE Multnomah Street, will offer half of the record-breaking 1,200 indoor bike parking spaces constructed as part of Hassalo on Eighth in the Lloyd District. But unlike most residential bike parking projects, this facility will also be open to people who work or shop in the area.
The 24-hour facility will offer service from on-site mechanics, paid lockers, showers, a bike-repair stand, extra-large cargo bike parking, a bike wash and free “commute consultations.”
(Photo: Hassalo on Eighth)
Full memberships will cost $50 a month or $419 a year. For business tenants of the Lloyd 700, it’ll be $35 a month, $320 per year.
You don’t have to buy a full membership, though. Simply parking your bike in the Cycle Station will cost $119 a year for nontenants of the 700 Building, $20 a year for tenants; or if you just want shower access without bike parking, that’s $200 a year. Here’s the full fee schedule:
This means that for residents of Hassalo on Eighth, a basic bike parking membership at the Cycle Station ($15/month) will be cheaper than bike parking inside the Hassalo on Eighth residential buildings ($25/month). That’s great news for Hassalo residents — it’ll prompt occasional bike users to stash their rides in the Cycle Station and keep the highest-convenience rooms open for people who ride daily.
“We’ve actually had a lot of people call to sign up, because they have many bikes,” said Kathryn Doherty-Chapman of Go Lloyd, the local business association that has partnered with Hassalo on Eighth to administer the Cycle Station.
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So if you become a member, how will you reach the facility in the top floor of the three-level underground garage? There are two options.
“I recommend people use the plaza elevator,” said Doherty-Chapman. “It’s just an elevator built for people, but it easily fits a cargo bike or a longtail bike.”
The plaza elevator opens directly into the car-free plaza on Hassalo Street, opening onto 7th Avenue.
The other way is to use the elevator inside the 700 building, but it’s closed to the public after 6 p.m. and more heavily used in any case.
There’s also another way to use the Cycle Station even if you’re not a member: starting some time after the opening day in June, the 700 Building will offer a free short-term bike valet during business hours.
“If you’re here for an appointment or you’re running into Green Zebra, then you’ll just roll up,” Doherty-Chapman said.
The valet, operated by Ace Parking, will only be available during business hours. But it’ll be free to anyone who wants to use it.
Go Lloyd is hosting a grand opening celebration for the Cycle Station on Wednesday, June 1, at 10 a.m. on June 1, with guest speakers, a ribbon-cutting and snacks from nearby Green Zebra Grocery.
Though the Cycle Station obviously won’t be for everyone, it’s worth taking a moment to savor this milestone: one of the country’s best bike parking facilities is opening to the public in Portland and operating more or less as a business, planning to make money by giving hundreds of people a place to park their bicycles.
Governments can mandate bike lanes, bike parking and even bike programming. But when private businesses get in on the bike game, biking isn’t just an aspiration or an ideology. It’s a reality.
Disclosure: Hassalo on Eighth is a BikePortland sponsor. The opening of one of North America’s largest indoor bike parking facilities would also be newsworthy if they weren’t.
— Michael Andersen, (503) 333-7824 – michael@bikeportland.org
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lol they build a bike garage that is accessible by…elevator?!?
It’s actually part of a 3 level car parking garage beneath the Hassalo properties and the 700 building.
But it should be a great deal for those of us who live nearby.
Wow, this looks fantastic. The locker room is a bit odd though as it looks like one designed for a gym. Lockers are a good idea, but perhaps design them like the ones at Amsterdam Centraal. Admittedly, its a very minor quibble, but I think it’s important to convey cycling as a mode of transportation instead of an athletic activity.
I would love to see this expanded to downtown! My dream is for an underground bike parking facility at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I’d have to imagine there’d also be a similar facility constructed near Union Station as part of the Post Office redevelopment. Again, love to see this facility opening to the public!
The lockers will be great for folks like us that live at Hassalo: we will have a place for our saddlebags, lights, helmets and other stuff we don’t want to haul back and forth to our apt. I don’t think they imply a gym environment; rather a good utilitarian addition that will meet a variety of needs. I for one don’t care what they look like as long a they are available and work. Such a great amenity!
So, pay to drive, pay to transit, pay to park bike. How to say it in Latin?
CaptainKarma asks: How to say it in Latin?
Non est talis res ut liberum prandium.
Stph
Unofficial comment of the week.
Walking is free.
Some clarifications:
There are two ramps to the east of the Cycle Station on 9th Ave if you want to ride all the way in. You go down to P1 floor, and then there is a small ramp on the NW corner of the garage that goes down half a floor to the entrance. I come from the west side, so I take the plaza elevator down to P1 and then roll over to that small ramp.
Those brown lockers are just for the showers. The gear lockers look like this (http://tinyurl.com/zqq3h45), and require you to bring your own small lock. A standard Master Lock combination lock fits, but nothing bigger.
I’ve been using the bike room since May 2nd (early access for building tenants) and I like it so far. My only complaint is that the room is a bit stuffy for my taste, especially after a hard ride in. Doesn’t seem to be very well ventilated.
Ok that makes more sense! The article made it seem like there is ONLY elevator access. I worked at a building downtown that had a bike room in the basement that was only accessible by one particular elevator, and that elevator broke down on a few different occasions. When that happened, your bike was stuck.
Thanks, Dan.
Is it possible that the 9th Ave ramps are closed after business hours? Doherty-Chapman told me there isn’t ramp access, but obviously yes, bikes can use the same ramps as the cars.
Those ramps are always open, as far as I know. It’s possible that Go Lloyd hasn’t considered that. They didn’t really know how to direct me down there when I signed up.
We aren’t really encouraging people to ride down the ramps. There’s been reports of people falling. I prefer the plaza elevator and the other bike elevator is not done yet. A work in progress it is.
— Kathryn
People falling when they ride down the ramps? Oh dear. It’s amazing I survived the years where I had a locker on the 3rd floor across the street.
Has anyone seen this in person? Do the oversize cargo bike parking spots look big enough for a tandem?
Maybe? I’ve seen them, but I couldn’t tell you for sure without bringing a tape measure with me. The oversized racks aren’t in any of their pictures.
There is room for long tails and cargo bikes. There will also be a special cargo bike room but it’s not ready yet.
Will the people who LIVE at Hassalo-on-Eighth be able to use the bike wash station without having to pay $$$$ to be a “member”? There is no place around here to wash one’s bike otherwise. It doesn’t appeal to me to park my bike in the Cycle Station. I finally moved my bike into my apartment because the racks in the bike room ($25 a month) in the apartment building are too difficult for me to muscle my bike on/off, and the Cycle Station racks don’t look any easier. But I do need a hose to rinse my bike after a rainy, grimy ride. . . and now it looks like we have to pay for one!?
It’s possible to walk past the elevators and head to the left to access the bike wash and tool stand without having to use an access card, if I recall correctly. So you’ll have free access to some of the services that members are paying for. You’re welcome.
Amazing. And to think, we have people in this city that don’t want projects like this to happen. Think of this facility the next time someone rants about developers and new residents.
Hmmm, I remember hearing from someone involved with the project that the bike parking would be free. Why did that change?
I don’t recall that. For building tenants it’s only 20 bucks a year for registration. I’m glad it’s not completely free — hopefully it will make it harder for random dudes to pilfer stuff off my bike.
This is true – they did say this previously. I don’t know why it changed, though.
Bike parking is free to people in the 700 building, but i am unsure about the Hassalo development fee structure.
Free after the $20 registration.
Free bike parking gets filled up too quickly, with seldom-ridden bikes.
It would be great if the private company that operated the parking facility could someday integrate with the Hop card. The potential for all non-driving transportation facilities to integrate under one card are enormous!
This looks freakin’ great. I’m gonna love this!
Putting the facility on the roof makes more sense. With a ramp available the downhill start means city center in less than 2 minutes. Monorail for bikes.
Nice story and great photos, but how about a little love for the designer/architect?
Is anyone aware of similar public facilities downtown? I would think these exist, but google hasn’t been helpful so far.