Submit Your Suggestions Now For Neighborhood Bike Stations Coming In September

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hana, a Laurelhurst resident and staff member of the Puget Sound Regional Council, partnering with Puget Sound Bike Share (PSBS), would like to let the community know that input is being gathered now on proposed bike stations throughout Seattle.
 

"It would be great if as many people as possible could suggest stations in Laurelhurst and support the stations suggested by voting and commenting by going here to the bikeshare station public input tool.   This is an important opportunity to tell PSBS where you think a bike share station would work best in the neighborhood" she told us.

Currently, PSBS's map shows only one bike "viable" bike station in Laurelhurst at Children's.

 

Paulo Nunes-Ueno, Children's Director of Transportation, told us that the hospital  contributed half a million dollars to Puget Sound Bike Share to host a station and to provide helmets throughout the system.

He added that even though the station is their property, the station will be located adjacent to the public right of way and most importantly, it will be accessible by the public 24 hours a day 7 days a week.   

 

"We are looking at putting the station on our side of the sidewalk on Sand Point Way, near the transit stop. We will pour a concrete pad to accommodate the station," he added.

We asked Holly, Executive Director for PSBS why there is only "viable" station planned for all of Laurelhurst and she responded:

The station at Seattle Children’s is indeed an exception to the 1,400 feet rule and it’s placement is solely due to the institution’s long time commitment to bike share and sponsorship of the program.  While we wish we could include more stations in the neighborhood, we are restricted by our budget, which currently affords 50 stations to be spread across the U-District, Capitol Hill, SLU and downtown.  The good news is that our September launch is only Phase I of a larger system, which will expand as quickly as funding and demand allows.

     

 

 

 Some of the proposed bike locations submitted by residents are:

• Center for Urban Horticulture
• Laurel Village - UW Student/Family Housing
• North west side of Laurelhurst Park

 

Here are some comments left on the site about Laurelhurst stations:

It is important to have at least one station in Laurelhurst where the 25 bus has been cut down to once her hour or less

The station could support many people in Laurelhurst where the public transport is already pretty bad. 

This would be a great resource for this neighborhood because of the lack of public transportation

Starting in September 50 bike stations with 500 bikes will be set up around Seattle, coordinated by PSBS, a nonprofit partnership of public and private organizations formed in June 2012 , with equipment provided by Portland-based Alta Bicycle Share, the City website says.

 

 

Puget Sound Bike Share's site says that: bike share system is one in which bikes are available on demand to provide fast and easy access for short trips. Their vision is "to provide King County residents and visitors access to a low-cost, fast, flexible, and convenient transportation alternative with economic, social, and environmental benefits to the region."

 

 

To submit a suggestion for a bike station go to the map and navigate to the blue station location pins and vote for the ones that are most suitable for a particular area.

Here is criteria used to determine pre-approved viable station locations:

• Population density and points of interest for residents and tourists
• The proximity to existing transit infrastructure in order to extend the city’s overall network mass-transit footprint
• Proximity or frequency of a nearby station in order to create a contiguous service area that can be travelled end-to-end with relative ease and speed
• Technical feasibility and compliance with City siting guidelines

In May, PSBS will unveil the official program name and logo along with the bike color.