First Contra Costa Co. BART Bike Station Now Open

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The first BART bicycle station in Contra Costa County opened this week in Pleasant Hill. The new facility features space for 215 bikes and builds on the existing bicycle capacity at the PleasantHill/Contra Costa Centre Station of 220 outdoor rack spaces, 150 BikeLink lockers, and 10 solar-powered high-security Bikeep racks.

"Most of those spaces fill up early in the morning on weekdays, which demonstrates the need for the additional bike parking provided by the new station," BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said in a news release. "The opening will also provide a boost for access at Concord Station as about 30 of the BikeLink lockers will be redeployed there now that the new bike station is open."

BART leaders and East Bay transportation advocates celebrated the official opening of the new bike station with a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday.

"This new station puts BART at the forefront of bicycle access," said BART Board President Robert Raburn. "To our knowledge no other transit station in the country offers the range and quality of secure bike parking options that are now available at the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre Station."

The 2,300-square foot facility provides secure indoor parking in a BikeLink-controlled facility. Users need a BikeLink card to access the station, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"The new facility was built in response to the increase in demand we’re seeing for bike access to BART stations in Contra Costa County," said BART Director Debora Allen, who represents the PleasantHill/Contra Costa Centre Station in District One. "Making it easier for people to safely store their bikes at BART stations will mean fewer bikes on trains and more space for everyone."

The station includes a bike retail shop and maintenance services. The focus is on supporting commuter needs by selling smaller accessories such as lights, locks, helmets and BikeLink cards while providing maintenance services to keep bikes in good working order, Trost said. The shop is currently open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. weekdays but BART can choose to expand those hours if there's sufficient demand, the spokeswoman said.

Funding for the new bike station comes from Measure J, which was approved by Contra Costa County voters in 2004. The total cost for the project is $425,000, according to Trost, who said BART will pay the operating costs of the bike station.

The new facility is the seventh bike station in the BART system; the others are at 19th Street, Ashby, Civic Center, Downtown Berkeley, Embarcadero and Fruitvale stations.

"These stations are an important part of BART’s Bicycle Plan, which was adopted by the agency in 2012," Trost said. "A central goal of that plan is for BART to double the number of riders who access the system by bike from four to eight percent by 2022. BART is already more than halfway toward reaching that goal."

Photo courtesy BART