With the Streetsblog USA post today about bike parking (It’s Time for America to Talk About Bike Parking), it is a good time to remind Sacramento that SacRT should be providing on-demand secure bike parking at light rail stations, at least the stations that receive a modicum of use. Three stations have secure bike parking provided by BikeLink lockers: Historic Folsom, Glenn, Iron Point. These were placed by the City of Folsom, not by SacRT. The Sacramento Valley Station has a good supply of BikeLink lockers, but these were provided by Capitol Corridor, not by SacRT. You may have noticed bike lockers at many of the other stations, but these are not on-demand lockers, they are rented to specific individuals and unavailable to the public. And most of them are unused. I know because I placed tape on a number of lockers, and the tape on many was undisturbed over many months.
There are times when light rail cars are way overcrowded with bicycles. Bringing bicycles onboard should not be restricted, however, everyone would benefit if some of the bicycles were left at stations in secure bike lockers, to be used on the return trip.
Though the need is probably greatest at most light rail stations, other locations with frequent bus service and high ridership could also benefit from bike lockers. Of course bike racks are also appropriate at light rail stations and bus stops, but secure bike parking is needed any time riders must leave their bike for longer periods of time, or in darkness, or when the 3-bike racks on buses are likely to be full.
An article on Getting Around Sacramento (bike storage at light rail) provides some background information from 2013. The situation has not changed, the largely unused rental lockers are still there, and there are no additional on-demand secure bike lockers (BikeLink). The Pedal Stop BikeStation at Historic Folsom light rail station is no longer there, as it did not receive enough use to justify, but the BikeLink lockers are still there. See additional posts on Getting Around Sacramento.
Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders (STAR) 
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