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Installation· 3 min read
Secure employee bike parking at the Wilson Building in Washington, DC
The Wilson Building, home of the Office of the Mayor of Washington, DC, has its own secure bike parking for staff. A 5-dock Bikeep smart bike parking station went in on 13½ Street NW, right next to Pennsylvania Avenue, in August 2018, and it is still in use. Staff unlock a dock with the Bikeep app or with the SmarTrip card they already carry for Metro.
Why the Mayor's office moved bikes out of the hallways
Many people who work at the Wilson Building cycle in. Before the station, there was nowhere secure for their bikes outside, so they parked them indoors in the building's hallways.
The building wanted its hallways clear. It did not want to make cycling to work harder, though. The answer was secure employee bike parking outside the door, with spots kept for staff and control over who could use them.
How the staff bike parking works
The station sits on a base plate along the building wall. Each of the five docks holds one bike.
- Locking bar. A bar closes over the bike frame, so the rider needs no lock of their own.
- Two ways in. Staff unlock a dock with the Bikeep app or by tapping a SmarTrip card.
- Kept for staff. Access is limited to people who work in the building, so the docks serve the people they were installed for.
- Theft alarm. If someone tampers with a locked bike, a loudspeaker alarm sounds and building security gets an alert.
- DC colours. The docks carry the stars and bars of the District's flag.
The station is a smart bike parking station, the same product Bikeep installs at transit stations, campuses and shopping centers.
Why a SmarTrip card made it easy
Most Washington commuters already carry a SmarTrip card for Metrorail and Metrobus. Letting staff use the same card at the bike dock meant no new card to issue and nothing extra to carry. Staff who prefer their phone use the Bikeep app instead.
On the evening news
ABC7 (WJLA) transportation reporter Sam Sweeney covered the station on 24 August 2018. The ABC7 report called it a "high-tech, state-of-the-art bike rack" and showed how the lock alerts security when someone tries to steal a bike.
What other office buildings can take from it
The Wilson Building had a problem many offices share. Staff want to cycle in, there is no safe place to leave a bike, and the bikes end up inside.
- Five docks is enough to start. A small station on the sidewalk took the bikes out of the hallways.
- Use the card people already carry. A transit or building access card means nothing new for staff to remember.
- Reserve the spots. Limiting access to staff keeps the docks free for the people the building is responsible for.
More on employee bike parking is on the office bike parking page.
Bikeep around Washington, DC since 2018
Since the Wilson Building station went in, more sites around the region have added Bikeep parking.
- Reston Town Center, Virginia, where visitors also lock up with a SmarTrip card. Read about Reston Town Center.
- Colonial Parking, which brought bike and scooter parking to its DC garages. Read the announcement.
- Reagan National Airport, with secure parking and charging for bikes and e-scooters. See the case study.
- Georgetown Park, with free secure bike parking for retail visitors. Read the story.
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