Tuesday, August 31, 2010

First Capital Bikeshare Stations Installed


The first two Capital Bikeshare stations were installed today in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. The remainder of Arlington's 14 stations will be installed over the next three weeks, along with DC's 100 stations.


The installation was seamless with a boom truck arriving to unload the 19-dock station across the street from the Crystal City Metrorail station. Each modular unit was unloaded by the boom operator, while staff shuffled the units into place on the sidewalk. The units were then pushed together and wiring was finished, along with placing the solar panel on top.

Lots of passersby stopped to ask what was going on. Is it a big bike rack? Where are the bikes? How do I join?

Staff in neighboring buildings, people on their way to lunch, and students on their way to class stopped by. Many shared their love of cycling and look forward to using Capital Bikeshare once it's running in late September.


All in all, it was a good day, but hot. It was a Code Red day due to the poor air quality. It's ironic because bike-sharing is one of the tools in the toolbox that will combat climate change in the D.C. region and improve air quality.

2 comments:

Cycling For Beginners said...

That looks pretty nice! Can wait to visit and be able to cycle around the mall. Hope it is an overwhelming success!

John said...

Yeah, I'm sure the weather will change once the bike sharing is up and running.