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Bicycle “eLockers” arrive in Walnut Creek

Four electronically controlled bicycle lockers will be officially launched at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 at Walnut Creek City Hall, 1666 N. Main St.

The “eLockers” offer a secure, dry place to store bicycles. Each locker has an electronic BikeLink card reader and will only unlock with the same BikeLink card that was used when the bike was parked. The hourly use fee is automatically deducted from the card; in Walnut Creek, the hourly fee is 5 cents.

Free $20 BikeLink cards are available for a limited time at www.511contracosta.org. In addition, BikeLink cards may be purchased and activated at www.bikelink.org.

The eLockers are made possible through a partnership with the City of Walnut Creek and 511 Contra Costa, the local commute alternatives program, and funded by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s half cent sales tax for Transportation Improvement Projects and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The cost for the four lockers is $12,590.

Because the eLockers offer secure storage, they have proven popular. Each eLocker serves seven times the users as conventional bike lockers, according to 511ContraCosta.

The eLocker at City Hall is part of Walnut Creek’s effort to support alternative modes of transportation.

While the eLockers at Walnut Creek City Hall are the first to be installed by a Central Contra Costa city, they are part of a growing BikeLink system that extends from Seattle to Los Angeles.

In Contra Costa, there are eLockers at the AAA building in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill BART, Hercules Park and Ride Lot, Richmond City Hall, Richmond BART, El Cerrito City Hall, El Cerrito Community Center, and El Cerrito BART. For eLocker locations in the Bay Area and beyond, go to www.bikelink.org.

511 Contra Costa provides commute alternative programs on behalf of all Contra Costa cities and the County.