Boaters and liveaboards at the Shilshole Bay Marina finally have a place to store and park their bicycles.
There are now 30 bike lockers in five locations throughout the marina that are leased to boaters for $12 a month. A new bike "corral" was also designated in an unused fenced area that accommodates storage of an additional 30 bikes at no cost.
Inverted U and cora racks were also installed in over 10 locations for day use bicycle parking.
The funding, about $50,000 was secured last summer.
The Port of Seattle owned marina, home to about 1,500 boats and 300 liveaboards, has undergone major renovation in the last three years. The $80 million project has updated all the docks and piers, increased the total amount of moorage and created new public areas.
Bike storage and parking was cut from the original marina construction cost after estimates came back almost $20 million over budget.
Before construction, tenants stored their bikes in enclosed "sheds" located on the old docks, but the reconstruction criterion prohibited the storing or parking of bikes anywhere except onboard boats.
Last March, boaters, visitors and liveaboards met with Shilshole Bay Marina staff to voice their need for bike storage and short-term parking of bicycles. Ideas from 50 people who attended the first meeting evolved into a project to install bike storage lockers and bike racks for parking bicycles throughout the marina.
A customer advisory panel comprised of five volunteers from the initial meeting worked with port staff for several weeks to develop a plan to include short and long-term strategies for bike storage and parking at Shilshole.
The longer-term policy is to consider other areas for bike storage lockers if demand increases and to incorporate planning for bikes and alternative transportation needs as part of the annual business planning process for the Ballard marina.
Contact Sharon Briggs, general manager, real estate and property management, harbor services with any questions or comments: 728-3387 or briggs.s@portseattle.org.
