Earlier this month WMATA intended to remove half the bike racks at the Rosslyn Metro Station and rent the space to hold a kiosk. We worked with WMATA to locate the kiosk elsewhere preserving the bike racks. An informal survey was made of bike rack usage around rush hour in the mornings and near closing time in the evenings. The bike racks are close to full by 8:30 each morning and are nearly empty near closing time, so the racks are being used by commuters. WMATA notified us on 6-12-2006 that none of the bike racks would be removed.

Earlier this year we worked with WMATA to tag and remove a number of bikes that appeared to be abandoned since they had been parked in the racks for many months, preventing commuters from using the space.

I attended the Metro Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, Sept 27, 2006. During the public comment period of this meeting I pointed out that Rosslyn population density is continuing to increase and with this increase in density along with rising gas prices and road congestion, more people are using bicycles to get to and from the metro station. I pointed out that the bike racks at the Rosslyn station become filled with bikes, some abandoned, some broken down, to the point that no space is left for biking commuters to park.

I then asked metro management if there are policies regarding the length of time bicycles may be left in bike racks, who is responsible for tagging and removing abandoned bikes, and where are policies regarding bicycle parking documented.

My suggestions for Metro to consider: post signs letting bike riders know that no overnight parking is allowed and remove bikes that are parked overnight. Also, consider increasing the bike rack space at metro stations.

There was discussion amongst the board members and Mr. Tangherlini was positive towards supporting this request.