Biking in Downtown? This may be the perfect spot to store your bike

People looking to bike in Downtown Boise can now park their bicycles in a more secure spot, thanks to an indoor bike storage station in the parking garage at 9th and Main streets.

The first-of-its-kind “BikeBOI” is be open 24/7. Up to 42 bikes can park there at a time.

The bike parking unit includes 18 lockers, key-card access and a bike repair station and air pump. It also has safety lighting and video surveillance.

Memberships are available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Initial pricing is $20 for access through the remainder of 2019. Starting in 2020, it will cost $7 per month.

“We’re looking for innovative ways to serve all modes of transportation,” said Matt Edmond, the project manager for capital improvements for the Capital City Development Corp., Boise’s urban-renewal agency, in a news release. “We studied bicycle parking solutions in cities around the country and combined the best of what we saw in the new BIKEBOI facility, seeking to strike a good balance between functionality, aesthetics, durability and cost effectiveness.”

CCDC budgeted $150,000 for the project, which was designed by architect Rob Thornton of CTY Studio of Boise. The project included the addition of two murals nearby that could help people find the BikeBOI from the street. The name is patterned after ParkBOI, CCDC’s network of parking garages.

Finding parking for bikers has previously been a challenge, as there was a lack of long-term options available. The only secure bike parking was operated by Valley Regional Transit in Main Street Station. That option, however, is not an option for people working service industry jobs or who work early or late, because of its operating hours.

Many Downtown employers have developed long-term, secure bike parking in recent years, but those facilities are available only to employees, tenants or affiliates of those organizations.

This story was originally published July 1, 2019 at 4:45 PM.