Bikes get safe place to spend day

The problem is vividly apparent outside the Bellevue Transit Center, where bicycles are parked outside, chained to racks or posts, and easy prey for parts poachers.

"If you've ever come out to find your wheel gone, or your seat, it's kind of distressing," said Every Day, of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

But the city of Bellevue unveiled a solution Thursday. It's called the Commuter Connection, and inside the storefront between 108th and 110th avenues northeast are 27 fully secure bike racks, protected from the weather and locked inside closed doors, yet accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with key card access.

The racks cost $45 for six months, and when the Commuter Connection opened Thursday for its first day of business, four of the racks already were rented. There's even a bike stand with various tools, including a tire pump and wrenches.

The intent of the new storefront is to help people with all aspects of getting around without cars, and bikes are just one part of the service. Budgeted at $106,000 for the first year, Commuter Connection is sponsored by the city, the Bellevue Downtown Association, Sound Transit, King County Metro and the state Department of Transporation, as well as the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

The office, next to a Bellevue police substation, will be staffed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday to offer help with everything from planning trips by bus, car pool or van pool to providing bike services and even giving tips on walking routes. Other services include information about using Zipcar, a car-sharing service that allows avoiding the full costs of vehicle ownership, and even a map that shows where people in a Rideshare program come from to work in Bellevue.

Numerous people stopped in Thursday, many remarking on how the facility seems like a good way to find commuting help.

"See, we can't take our bikes up into our offices," said Scott East, an attorney whose office is in the building, and has recently has gotten into cycling. "It'll get me thinking. I'll send people over."

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com