Bikers will soon be able to securely store their bikes in downtown Bellingham.
The City of Bellingham’s public works team recently installed 14 bike lockers downtown as part of an effort to provide safe and accessible bike storage. The lockers should be operational by mid-to-late this week, Communications and Outreach Coordinator Natalie Monro said in an email.
Six of the bright green lockers are located at the Commercial Street Parking Garage, and eight are at Railroad Avenue and Champion Street, right next to the Whatcom Transportation Authority’s Bellingham Station.
People can use the lockers, starting next week, through the app Movatic. The lockers will cost 5 cents per hour for up to ten days and 12 cents per hour after time expires, with a $5 minimum transaction. There will also be a 6% transaction fee and a 30 cent fee per transaction.
The lockers can hold bikes, scooters and other similarly-sized transportation gear and related equipment such as helmets and bike shoes, according to a city presentation. After 14 days, the equipment in the locker will be considered abandoned. The city spent $44,000 on the lockers, and they cost about $5,000 to install, Monro said.
The installation of the lockers follows through on priorities in the City’s Bicycle Master Plan, which stated a priority of providing “strategically-placed” bike lockers in safe and accessible places, as well as near transit facilities. Last year, there were 182 reported bike thefts in Bellingham, according to a City of Bellingham presentation.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
