Brompton Dock: folding bike share system

Most people in this area are familiar with the bike sharing system Capital Bikeshare. Three-speed bikes can be used for short trips in DC and Arlington. For members, the first 30 minutes of the trip are free, so most people time their trips to be less than that. Trips longer than 30 minutes are expensive.

The British manufacturer Brompton is experimenting with a new bikeshare concept, Brompton Dock, which takes advantage of the portability of their excellent folding bikes:

Brompton Dock is an extension of familiar ‘park and ride’ programs. Commuters arrive at Guidlford train station where 40 Bromptons are stored in a bank of lockers on the platform. When the membership smartcard is swiped, a screen indicates which bay is unlocked, and the commuter can take the folded bike to use straight away, or carry on the train to within cycling distance of their destination. Members can keep the bike for as long as they like, and return it to the dock when they’re finished.

The program is designed to be “simple, convenient and excellent value for money”. Membership costs GBP 50 ($81) a year, and includes annual 24/7 access to Brompton Dock. Bike hire is GBP 4 ($6.50) per day for a single day, GBP 2 ($3.25) per day for more than a weeks hire, and GBP 1.60 ($2.60) per day for one months hire. The smartcard keeps track of bike usage and members are charged at the end of each month. Though currently only available in Guildford, Brompton are working with South West trains and other organizations to bring the program to other locations.

Those prices seem very reasonable. Wonder if such a system would work here in Fairfax. I can see commuters coming from DC and Arlington picking up a Brompton upon entering Metro, arriving at one of the Tysons or Reston Metro stations, and riding that last mile or two to work. They could do the same using a bus. It certainly helps overcome the last mile problem.

Thanks to John of All Ability Cycles for the link.

Riding to Dulles Airport

Yes, it is possible to ride to Dulles Airport. A while back I inquired about riding there and was told by an airport official that there is a service road that employees use that connects to Rt 606/Old Ox Rd north of the airport. Yesterday I returned from a trip to Jacksonville and decided to finally check out the route.

I own a Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bike that packs into a suitcase. After assembling the bike, attaching the trailer frame and putting my other pack into the suitcase, I was ready to roll. From the arrivals level I rode around Saarinen Circle to Copilot Way. I missed the right turn to reach Airport Dr so I continued straight to Cargo Dr turned right and then left on Airport Dr.

I left the airport at 4:45pm which must have been a shift change because there was lots of traffic on Airport Dr. I continued north to almost the end of Airport Dr where I turned right on Materials Rd then left on Ariane Way where traffic got even heavier. There's a climb to cross the bridge over the Dulles Greenway, then the road descends to 606/Old Ox Rd where I turned right. This is a busy commuter road but I had no problems riding the short distance to take a left on Pacific Blvd.

I headed north on Pacific to reach Sterling Blvd as it is the shortest route to the W&OD Trail. Sterling Blvd is also a busy commuter route. I then turned right on the W&OD Trail and headed to Reston. On the way I saw the Reston Bike Club group headed west on their Wednesday Social Ride.

I live near South Lakes HS in Reston and the trip took about an hour, which was probably shorter than taking the bus and much cheaper than the $25 taxi ride. There were some major, congested roads on the route, so experience riding under those conditions is recommended. It will certainly do the trip again in the future as it's much easier to get to the airport by bike than I had thought.

I was returning from a trip to Jacksonville to visit my mother, who lives in Atlantic Beach, about 25 miles away. From the airport there's a decent bike route to Atlantic Beach that makes use of the Mayport Ferry to cross the St. Johns River. There can be heavy traffic on the weekends and one of the roads, Heckscher Dr, has been under construction for several years, but when finished it will also have bike lanes. It's a great way to avoid renting a car, taking a taxi, or avoiding an excruciatingly long bus ride with multiple transfers.