BART's board of directors is expected to award a $539,000 contract today for the construction of a new bike station at Civic Center Station that will more than triple the amount of bike parking by next summer.
The station was originally scheduled to begin construction last year, but issues with the design caused delays. The new self-serve bike station will be similar to one at the Embarcadero BART Station, except it will be made of glass and feature better lighting, said Steve Beroldo, BART's bike program manager.
A Bike Link card will be required to enter and leave the station, and a special camera will be activated every time the door opens and closes, according to Beroldo.
The current bike parking area, inside the pay gates, can be a magnet for bike thieves, as I discovered last year. Beroldo says the 63 current bike parking spaces will remain, but new racks that are more space-efficient will be installed. Construction on the new bike station is scheduled to begin in November and will add enough space to park a total of 216 bikes at Civic Center Station.
"The primary benefit is a more secure environment to leave your bike parked," said Beroldo. "You have to register it. We know who's going in and out of it. So, there's no casual theft issues to worry about."