Transport Ministry plans 40 bicycle parking facilities in San José

The Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) is working on a plan to build 40 bicycle racks in San José, and ministry officials want people to weigh in.

The ministry already has preliminary designs for short- and long-term bike parking options including bike racks, lockers and parking lots at public buildings. Ministry officials selected the proposed 40 sites by taking into account their proximity to public services, train and bus stations, recreational sites, schools and universities.

The ministry now wants public feedback on the proposed racks before moving forward with the project. MOPT is calling on the population, and particularly urban cyclists, to take an online survey that will be available on its website until December 23.

The survey asks people to weigh in on the proposed sites and also asks them to rate each one on three basic aspects: safety, usability and location. The survey is only available in Spanish.

User feedback

MOPT’s Traffic Engineering Director Junior Araya said in a news release that the ministry will use the information from the survey to make a final decision on the types and final locations of the proposed bike racks. The survey also grants people the opportunity to propose other locations that are not included in MOPT’s plan, Araya said.

The online survey displays examples of each of the four designs proposed.

Among the proposed sites MOPT selected are the Supreme Court, the Social Security System (Caja) headquarters, the Supreme Elections Tribunal, the Central Bank, the Plaza de la Cultura, the National Stadium, the Pacific and Atlantic train stations, the National Library, the Costa Rican Art Museum in La Sabana Park, the Costa Rica Institute of Technology in Barrio Amón, and various public banks.

MOPT plan proposes parking options alongside and on the streets, racks at public buildings and even bike lockers. (Courtesy of MOPT)

Urban mobility

The proposed bike racks would be a new step toward boosting the use of bikes in the capital.

The San José Municipality inaugurated a two-kilometer stretch of bike path in 2015. The route is part of a seven-km route to connect La Sabana, west of the capital, to the University of Costa Rica campus, east of the city.

Since that inauguration, various additional efforts have sought to promote bicycle use. European Union Ambassadors in Costa Rica cycled on the bike path in June 2015, and environmental activists hosted a local version of World Car Free Day on Sept. 22.

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