Caltrain OKs bicycle parking management plan

Caltrain's board late last week adopted a new bicycle parking management plan aimed at enabling the railroad to more effectively manage the growing number of bike riders using the system.

Under the plan, Caltrain will increase bike parking capacity at stations along the corridor. The improvements will include secure, low-cost parking options, such as electronic bike lockers.

Caltrain also will hire a dedicated project manager for bike access and outsource bike parking facilities to outside vendors at all stations. The project manager will be tasked with developing a detailed funding plan and seeking proposals from third-party vendors to manage and administer bike parking, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

Currently, the railroad has a mix of third-party and in-house bike parking facilities, but the ones managed by Caltrain are underperforming due to resource constraints and a lack of dedicated staffing, they said.

Caltrain estimates 17 percent of passenger trips to and from its stations are made via bicycle.

Ninety-three percent of Caltrain passengers who ride a bike to their origin stations bring their bikes on board. However, greater wayside bike parking capacity could help reduce overcrowding on bike cars, Caltrain officials said.