The Examiner reports that the suburb of Blue Springs, MO is installing bike lockers at its commuter parking lots. The 18 lockers will be split evenly between the city's three commuter lots, and are geared towards folks catching one of the commuter express buses into Kansas City or Johnson County. Lockers are managed by the city's Parks and Recreation department and cost $60/year with a $35 deposit.
To my knowledge these are the first bike lockers on the Missouri side of the metro area. Johnson County Transit has lockers at seven locations, but so far neither the KCATA nor KCMO has established a bike locker program.
Commuters can safely store bikes
By ALLISON SEBOLT
The Examiner
Blue Springs is in the process of installing 18 bike lockers at the city's three commuter parking lots for citizens to rent.
"Our community is changing, its demographics are. We have people who want to have an alternative to driving," said Roscoe Righter, director of parks and recreation.
The goal is to have six lockers at each of the of the city's three commuter lots, located at the White Oak Plaza Shopping Center, Missouri 7 and Shaw Parkway, and near the Woods Chapel and I-70 interchange. There are currently 12 lockers in place between the White Oak Plaza and Missouri 7 lots, and the six lockers at the Woods Chapel lot should come within the next few weeks.
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The concept for the project began about 16 years ago when the city was developing a bike plan for the entire community. The city has recently been doing research and gathering information as it contacted 21 different agencies around the country that use bike lockers.
Righter said this is an environmental issue in addition to being convenient for residents. He said Blue Springs is seeing an influx of people from major cities where there is a significant focus on environmental issues, and their green concerns are being carried over into this city.
To rent a locker, there is a $35 refundable deposit for the key. Lockers rent for $60 a year. The lockers are 36 inches high and are large enough to store helmets and other accessories.
The goal is for commuters to be able to ride their bikes from their homes to one of the commuter lots and then catch a bus into downtown Kansas City. Righter said the city knows there is a need for these lockers as several bikes have been chained up consistently in the Missouri 7 commuter lot recently.
Gary Fontenot's bike was one of these. He has been riding his bike to the Missouri 7 commuter lot for the past few months and would previously lock his bike to the fence. Now that the lockers are available, he has rented a locker for the next year and said he catches the bus about three times a week. He said he now rides a better bike to the lot as he is not afraid of it getting stolen anymore.
"It gives you peace of mind, and you can leave other equipment there," Fontenot said.
Righter said he hopes this will motivate people who work in Blue Springs to ride their bikes to work and that the Parks and Recreation Department might need to consider offering lockers in additional locations to accommodate such bikers.
"I just hope it's a trend people will keep up and that they will use our bike routes more this way," Righter said. "We're providing an alternative that might not be available in other places."
To reach Allison Sebolt, call 816-350-6392 or e-mail allison.sebolt@examiner.net.
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