With our busy lives, it's often hard to find time for exercise during the week. Many of us go to work in the morning and come back home in the evening, exhausted from a long day with exercise often being the last thing on our minds. One way to squeeze some exercise time into the day is, if you're close enough, to bicycle to work. This not only gives you some much-needed fitness time, but also cuts costs on gas. Although bicycling to and from work seems like a great idea, there are some definite obstacles. No one wants to show up to work sweaty and pit-stained, and bike storage at many workplaces, especially downtown, is often minimal (and less than secure).
Soon, a new facility downtown could make biking to work a little bit more realistic. The Downtown Bicycle Station, at 1110 Locust, in the works for months, will finally have its grand opening tomorrow (along with a symbolic ride from Mayor Slay and his team as they cycle from City Hall to the Bike Station). The 1,400-square foot facility, the first of it's kind in the city, will offer cyclists a safe place to store their bikes and gear and showers to rinse off after your morning workout, for a small fee ($20 for a monthly membership and $150 for a year). Membership includes 24-hour indoor bicycle parking, shower and locker access, 10% off bicycle repair and retail items at Urban Shark, and 5% off bicycles at Urban Shark.
In October, Ann Mack, executive director of Trailnet, told SLM that she hopes, with the success of the downtown station, that bike stations will also pop up in other areas, like Clayton, The Loop, Grand Center, etc., to encourage cycling in other parts of town.
"We hope people embrace it. There's huge health benefits, and the local economy benefits," she explained. "There's research that says the more time you spend on your feet, you spend more money, so the bike stations downtown location might also benefit local businesses. Our hope is that we'll have those tangible success stories."
For more information on the Downtown Bicycle Station and the benefits of commuter cycling, go to trailnet.org/our-work/travelgreen.
