It sounds like the City and DOT intend to fix this problem by installing 70 new, covered bike racks beginning this spring. Contact the DOT and encourage them to fast-track the project so we don't have to wait until mid-summer before the racks are installed!

The new racks will be placed in the lit area next to the parking attendant booth, just to the north of the main garage, and covered with a metal hood.

Relevant news clip from 3/9/09:

Serving the Bike/Transit Commuter

How can we best facilitate transit service for those who arrive or depart on bikes?

Portland’s Tri-Met transit agency announced yesterday that it would spend $1 million of its stimulus funds on improving the region’s bike facilities near transit stations. The agency will invest in two major bike garages, such as that pictured here, as well as improving the existing bike stations throughout the system. Tri-Met will also apply for $1.7 million of funds from the Oregon Department of Transportation for another five bike garages.bikes

Portland isn’t alone in attempting to find ways to improve the commute for bike enthusiasts: Salt Lake City will build a new bike station downtown; last year, Washington announced its intention tocreate a large bike center just outside of Union Station

FULL ARTICLE here: http://thetransportpolitic.com/2009/03/10/serving-the-biketransit-commuter/

The bike racks were 100% full at at least one point last week.

http://www.designnewhaven.org/2008/06/momentum-builds-for-bike-friendly-union.html has the thread on this (not .com)

The racks were full again last week.

Also, for some reason, the New Haven Parking Authority's project to add more racks (which initially was supposed to be completed in April, or by the end of August at the latest) has been delayed for months.

Anyone know why?

I don't know what the hold-up is on the new racks. Someone should follow up with Bill Kilpatrick of NHPA.

On the bright side, I noticed that a new bike rack had been laid out in the existing rear parking area (truth be told, there is still a lot of room in that area for additional bike racks, particularly single inverted U-style racks, which are the preferred rack design with two points of contact).

However, as of Sunday Sept 6, the new rack had yet to be bolted down. I don't know how likely it is that someone would steal the whole thing, particularly when laden with bikes, but still, bolting the thing down is trivial should only require a single man-hour of labor. You just need a masonry bit and a few anchors and bolts from Home Depot.

Maybe NHPA is planning to bolt it down but just hasn't gotten around to it.

I'm relatively new to town and investigated this last fall, when the Union Station parking manager Sammy Parry told me that new racks would be installed in spring 2008 that would accommodate both bikes and scooters (I'm interested in commuting to the station by both methods).

Currently, there seem to be no options at all for scooter riders - can't use the racks, can't park in the garages or in the surface lot. The new spaces were intended for use by both bikes and scooters.

This project has been delayed, according to Parry, but there doesn't seem to be a timeline beyond "it will happen" (his words). In looking for information on a timeline or temporary measures for us, my August 26th email to Jim Travers in the NH city transportation department hasn't been answered.

I'll update if I hear anything new.

Thank you, please update. Brian, did you mean they said it would be completed in Spring 2009, not Spring 2008?

There is another scooter rider who emailed Jim Travers a couple weeks ago about this issue - I'll follow up with him to see if he has heard back anything about the timeline or other plans for scooter parking racks at the station.

Hi Mark,

The target completion date I originally heard back in December '08 was a confident six months: June '09.

My follow-ups were in late August, but nobody's gotten back to me yet or given me a revised target date.

Thanks Brian. There's some coverage of this here: http://downtownnewhaven.blogspot.com/2009/09/conndot-expands-free-parking-bus-to.html

Did anyone get back to you yet, Brian?

Mark -

Nope. Nothing.

maybe CONNDOT just thinks it is funny that the racks are full - ? none of the workers at connDOT bicycle anyways, they all drive fast SUVs

Did anyone find out why the installation of new racks, promised by the City, has been delayed by so many months?

Hi. In the end...can I (safely) park my by at Union Station if I am going away for the weekend?

I've left my bike there may times with no problems, but you have to learn about how to secure a bike properly. There are racks in the front, often totally full on weekends, as well as racks in the back (where you can usually squeeze in if you are lucky!)

More parking is needed, in the front of the station, ASAP! The visible cue of bikes stacked up on top of each other is a MAJOR DISINCENTIVE to biking in New Haven!!

I agree! Not only that, get this: Aside from the racks, there is a locked bicycle room. Keys are issued by the city for a fee, but the city is not issuing any new, supposedly.

In this room you will see maybe two usually sleek bikes, happily stored behind lock and key for some favored bicyclists. The city, according to the garage personnel, issued these keys for a fee, supposedly, but are not going to issue more. Supposedly any member of the public could pay for this key, but now they are phasing it out. When?

Seems to me, they are giving a very few special people access to the locked bike room and keeping it exclusive.

So, who are these aristocrats who have these exclusive keys to the incredibly undercrowded, locked bike room that is supposed to be available for a fee to the public while we cram our bikes into racks that are located all the way at the back of the garage????

Mark - I never got an answer to my original queries. Any ideas on how to press this?

I still can't quite figure out who has jurisdiction over this - the NH Parking Authority or a specific Union Station office.

And to Marge: I had no idea that the room was limited to a now-closed group of people. I always notice that it's nearly empty and assumed the reason was that it wasn't convenient or that getting through the door into a small room was more acrobatics than commuters wanted to deal with early in the morning.

This situation is starting to seem like an accountability-free zone. Is there a reasonable human being we can sit down with to talk about these issues?

The last I heard was at a meeting with Eugene Colonese about four months ago in which he showed me architectural renderings of the planned bicycle parking structure. But I haven't heard anything since then. Maybe a letter to Eugene Colonese and Bill Kilpatrick politely requesting an update on the project would be appropriate? This should be discussed at the Nov. 9 Elm City Cycling meeting. Interested watchers of this issue on SCL are encouraged to attend and lend their voices and support:

Elm City Cycling Monthly Meeting
6:00 pm in Meeting Room #2 at City Hall on Monday, Nov. 9.

The New Haven Parking Authority has jurisdiction not only over the garage, but over Union Station as well. Bill Kilpatrick is the man in charge of the new bicycle parking facility installation. But Eugene Colonese, CT Rail Administrator, should have the details on the project's progress as well.

I managed to wrangle a key to the secure facility in the garage. They are issued by the secretary in the New Haven Parking Authority office in Union Station (2nd floor I believe). But she is reluctant to issue any more keys because there are over 50 in circulation and the space often gets very crowded. I agree that the existing keyholders are being grandfathered in, and that the enclosure is not being used in the most efficient way.

But I think the best use of our energies is to push for expedited construction of the new bicycle parking shelter, citing the massive subsidies in place for vehicles parking at Union Station that Mark mentions. Car drivers pay only $70 or so per month to park at the station, way below market rate.

We should mention in our letter that the heavily-trafficked intersection of Union Ave and Columbus Ave is going to need traffic calming and signs warning drivers of the presence of turning cyclists. It wouldn't be a bad location for a raised crosswalk (and flashing lights!) along the sidewalk where cars enter and exit the garage (often hastily) from Union Ave.

Good idea on Union Ave and Columbus, Jason. Would ConnDOT pay for the traffic calming features you mention, which are so badly needed there? That road is part of Route 1, after all, so seems to be a state road jurisdiction.

The city and downtown stakeholders (such as Town Green improvement district) should prioritize the needed road work, as well as the multi-modal transportation access, as a key economic development and business retention issue.

Also, who has jurisdiction over the exit lane from the parking garage? That lane has been the scene of numerous crashes and must be addressed as well.

Anna,
I highly recommend the locked bike room, unless you have a couple of good bike locks and are taking your seat with you! I've had several bike parts stolen just leaving my bike in the front rack during the work day. If they won't issue you a key, email me at FairHavenRes{at}hotmail{dot}com and you can definitely borrow mine; I'm not using it right now.

thanks a lot 'FairHavenRes'. However, I will only need to leave my bike occasionally. I am not a regular commuter, and given the shortage, I don't think I should 'steal' the key to anyone else who might need it more than I do actually.

Today there is a NHPA board meeting at 5:30 at the Train Station offices -

FWIW

The new temporary racks are AWESOME! This is possibly THE BEST standalone row of bike racks I have ever seen (see photo)…and that’s saying something!

Thank you NHPA and citizens who made this happen!!

Now where are the secure and sheltered racks?

The NH parking authority and Metro North authorities told Elm City Cycling, Railtec and other groups that racks would be installed no later than September 2010. A detailed timeline was provided to these groups and will be monitored.