A groundbreaking ceremony for the USA's first Bikestation Secure Bike Module, a multi-use bicycle transit center, was held at the Covina Metrolink station in Covina, California Tuesday.
According to Andrea White-Kjoss, president and CEO of Mobis/Bikestation, the company that plans, designs, implements and operates alternative multimodal transit systems across the U.S., costs are typically under US$100,000 for a standard model, and it generally takes 8-10 weeks to completion.
"Our intention is to allow people to have access to secure bicycle parking anywhere, anytime in the U.S.," White-Kjoss told BikeRadar. "Our target five-year goal is based on the number of projects we have in the pipeline and in progress. We’ll be making several announcements of new projects on a fairly consistent basis; 200 is just a start."
The new Bikestation Covina Secure Bike Module is 10' x 25' square feet of high tech, "green" design, offering 36 secure parking spaces to accommodate up to 80 users through digital access.
"The new Bikestation Secure Bike Module is directly in line with the strategic plan for the City of Covina," said city manager Daryl Parrish. "We're actively developing environmentally sustainable programmes that both serve the health and convenience of our citizens and reduce our carbon footprint.
"While some of these programmes can take a long time to implement, the Bikestation is a fast, cost-effective project that can benefit the people of Covina right away. This is also an example of a truly effective public/private partnership that we expect to see more of across the U.S. We're proud to be a leader in California's push to alternative transportation."
Bikestation Covina, expected to be in operation by the late fall of this year, will feature monitored electronic security. Users can sign up at www.Bikestation.com or over the phone, and their access key fob will allow them not only to use Bikestation Covina but any Bikestation in the U.S.
While Covina will start with a single Secure Bike Module, the LEED 3.0-compliant design is scalable, allowing the city to add to the facility or add new Modules when required.
