The newly renovated Montgomery Street Bike Garage facility, located between Stephen Epler Hall and Blumel Hall, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for Portland State students, faculty and staff.
“This bike garage represents not only a great deal of effort on the university’s part, but also a fantastic partnership with Metro,”said Ian Stude, the Transportation Options Manager, to a crowd of local officials and city partners.
The new, clean, modernized bike garage is a far cry from the squat, unsecured “bunker” that stood there previously, Stude said. With the help of Portland Metro, PSU Transportation and Parking Services [TPS] was able to completely overhaul the original ailing facility.
The bike garage has been expanded, with dual-tiered bike racks capable of supporting up to 77 bicycles—the original garage only supported 48. In addition, the roof has been completely replaced with an eco-roof and security cameras have been installed, along with an electronic card access terminal, Stude said. The whole project totaled approximately $200,000.
In keeping with PSU’s commitment to the intelligent use of funds, Stude detailed how Transportation and Parking Services was able to reduce the cost of the project without harming the quality of the finished product.
“These bike racks added about 10 percent to our total project budget, but resulted in 60 percent more spaces inside the facility,” Stude said.
Currently, PSU Transportation and Parking Services has about 50 active cardholders for the Montgomery Street Bike Garage, according to Stude. More students are expected to take advantage of the service as word of its existence spreads.
So far, feedback from its users has been “very positive,” Stude said.
Permits are required to use the new structure, which are for sale at TPS, located in the Academic and Student Recreation Center for $5 per month. Each permit is restricted to one of PSU’s two bike garages—the other located on Harrison Street—ensuring that there is always space for cardholders at their respective facilities.