Monday, February 18, 2008

Too Bad Lance Isn't From Spokane

He's building a bitchin' bike commuter station in his hometown of Austin.

Spokane is ready for this. I want this so bad that it hurts.

Picture a building downtown or on the edge of downtown that is the hub of all things bike related.

You could run it like a co-op, where different bike-friendly/related renters that occupy different portions of the building.

Maybe the anchor would be a full service bike shop, where you could buy new stuff and get your bike serviced by professional mechanics. Another piece would be the DIY shop where mechanically-inclined folks could rent shop space by the 1/2 hour and fix their own bikes. Another piece would be a small coffee/cafe place. Another piece would be a bikestation, where bike commuters could rent space to store their bikes and where they could rent a locker and have access to a shower.

Fill up the small office spaces by renting to other bike folks: the Bike Alliance of Washington, P2P, Spokane Bike Club, Inland NW Trails Coalition, and any other bike-related or bike-friendly organization that needs space.

This space could transform a neighborhood that is on the cusp. It would be that third place cyclists in this city need.

2 comments:

Ryan said...

Just wanted to let you know that a dude in Utah digs your blog and checks it everyday. I'm planning on moving to Deer Park in a few years so I like to keep up on the cycling news you have for Spokane. Keep it up. Thanks.

RoadieRider said...

I couldn't agree more. Spokane is primed and ready for this sort of building. Not only would it benefit the cycling and commuter community in Spokane, but it would help position Spokane as one of the top cycling and green communities in the U.S.