RCTC Report on BikeLid

Excerpt from the Riverside Transportation Commission Commuter Rail Update Report (May 2008) :

Bicycle Facility Upgrade at Riverside Downtown and North Main Corona Stations

In order to accommodate and promote bicycle ridership, the Commission has invested in both bicycle lockers and racks at its West Corona, La Sierra and Pedley stations. Until recently, the Commission lacked secure and covered bicycle facilities at its two most utilized stations, Riverside Downtown and North Main Corona.

In addition to bicycle racks, lockers provide an added level of security against possible theft and vandalism. However, conventional lockers require continuous maintenance and management. Lock mechanisms break; keys have to be distributed, tracked and hopefully returned; key deposits and refunds have to be tracked and accounted for; the potential for misuse, non-use and under use is significant as conventional lockers are assigned. All this adds complexity and cost to a conventional bike locker program, diminishing the benefit to the Commission as well as the overall passenger experience.

To address such complexity and costs, alternatives to conventional bike lockers were explored. The primary factor contributing to the complexity and cost of conventional lockers is the design. Essentially metal boxes, conventional lockers pose particular challenges to ensure proper and efficient use. In the past, lockers have been used for storage, remained assigned but unused, are an ideal habitat for any number of pests and pose a potential safety threat concealing devices intended to inflict public harm.

Demonstration of the BikeLid’s clamshell design.

In consideration of these concerns, the Commission has purchased and installed six BikeLids at both the Riverside Downtown and North Main Corona stations. The BikeLid is a competitively priced alternative product that significantly alleviates both the complexity and cost of a traditional bike locker. The design is essentially hybrid, integrating the simplicity of a bike rack with a clamshell hinged lockable cover. BikeLids allow first come/first served single use while patrons utilize their own standard bicycle lock. This eliminates the need of a separate key and lock mechanism while still providing the security of covered storage, discouraging misuse and optimizing proper use. Furthermore, the unique design has been demonstrated to increase awareness and consideration of bicycle use. The BikeLid product is utilized at the Oceanside transit center. The units are durable, simple and attractive. BikeLid provides a 10-year warranty on material and workmanship.

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