Fruitvale Bike Station

QUESTION:

What parks 236 bicycles, doesn't require a single lock, and is absolutely free?

ANSWER:

The attended bicycle parking facility, or "bike station," at the Fruitvale BART transit village, has been open for business since November 2004. The bike station (located just to the left of the Caesar Chavez Plaza entrance, within a hundred feet of the northeast BART exit) is staffed by an attendant and boasts a full service repair station. Operated by Alameda Bicycle, the facility is open M-F 6am-8pm. Website: www.alamedabicycle.com/station_fruitvale.html.

The project was a partnership between the City of Oakland, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the Fruitvale Development Corporation. Oakland secured $400,000 from Caltrans' Bicycle Transportation Account for capital improvement funding, managed the contract with Fruitvale Development Corporation (the construction manager), and provided construction oversight. BART secured $400,000 of Bay Area Air Quality Management District funding for additional capital improvement costs and operational expenses for the facility.