Commute Seattle News Release
In the first study of its kind, Commute Seattle (an alliance between the Downtown Seattle Association, King County Metro and Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)) audited the quantity and quality of bicycle commuter parking throughout Downtown. The study is called the Center City Bicycle Amenity Inventory and is part of a strategy to grow bicycle commuting among Downtown’s workforce to 6,000 daily by 2015.
According to a 2009 SDOT study, about 2,600 people commute by bike into Downtown Seattle. This is a 15 percent increase since 2007, a trend expected to continue as more bicycling facilities are installed, gas prices increase and more businesses locate in Downtown Seattle.
Key study findings include:
Nearly 70 percent of existing bike parking is adequate to meet the needs of bike commuters. It is well-protected from theft, weather or damage.
Bicycle amenities are absent in the majority of private Downtown office buildings, leaving current and would be bicycle commuters underserved.
Existing office building bike parking has the potential to accommodate 6,000 bicycle commuters, but amenities are unevenly distributed and most are not accessible to non-tenant cyclists.
Additional study highlights include:
o Only nine percent of office buildings provide shower facilities.
o Only three percent of office buildings provide bike pumps.
Since the release of Seattle’s Bicycle Master Plan in 2007, 113 miles of bicycle lanes and sharrows have been installed citywide. Adding bicycle parking to office buildings leverages this public investment.
“Wright Runstad & Company makes a point of providing covered, secure bike racks for our tenants,” said Greg Johnson, Downtown property owner. “The racks are in high demand and it’s an amenity that makes our buildings more attractive to current and prospective tenants.”
Commute Seattle is using the study and the programs they offer to provide Center City employers and property owners with data and technical services related to installing bicycle parking and its benefit to businesses.
The inventory was conducted using a grant awarded to the SDOT from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act administered through the Washington State Department of Commerce. To review the inventory and learn more about resulting recommendations visit www.commuteseattle.com.
Commute Seattle is a not-for-profit commuter service organization working to reduce drive-alone commuter trips in an effort to improve access to and through downtown Seattle. The organization is a partnership of executive leaders from the Downtown Seattle Association, the City of Seattle, and King County Metro. Commute Seattle enhances downtown’s attractiveness as a place to do business by providing transportation options that help commuters get to and around downtown easily and without delay.
For more information: Jamie Cheney, Commute Seattle, (206) 613-3126
