La Mesa Trolley Stations Stand Ready with Lockers for Bike to Work Day

Bike to work from the Jewel of the Hills? Doesn’t that imply navigating steep grades or scary slopes? 

SANDAG says give it a try. The San Diego Association of Governments is gearing up for Bike to Work Day on May 20, a Friday, and wants folks to consider using a bicycle for daily commutes—which can include a trip to the nearest trolley station.

All five trolley stations in La Mesa have bike lockers. The station on Amaya Drive has 14 lockers; the 70th Street station has 12; Grossmont has eight; and the La Mesa and Spring Street stations both have six.

According to SANDAG’s website, the 70th Street and Amaya stations have lockers available, and the other three stations have small waiting lists.

With buses bearing bike racks and bicycles allowed on trolleys and Coaster, Sprinter and Amtrak trains, combining a bike ride with public transit is an option that may become more appealing to commuters as gas prices continue to hover above $4 a gallon.

On May 20, 75 pit stops will be set up all over the county providing water, snacks and free T-shirts—but only for those who get out from behind the wheel and on the saddle for at least one day.

Prizes are also available for bike commuters who register ahead of time, which can be done online or at the Tune-Up Time event being held in Balboa Park on Saturday. Free tune-ups are available, as well as a kids bicycle rodeo and demonstrations with tips on fixing bikes, choosing equipment and more.

The free event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sixth Avenue between Palm and Quince streets.

SANDAG has 846 bike lockers at 60 locations throughout the county, mostly at trolley and Coaster and Sprinter stations, but they can also be found at other transit centers and park-and-ride lots as well. The lockers are free to use and keys are available for a $25 deposit. Locker keys can be requested online or by calling 511.

Systemwide, around 60 percent of the lockers that are available are in use, according to Dan Martin, principal planner for SANDAG.

Most of the lockers are metal boxes assigned to one person who can simply open the door and roll the bike in, lock it up and get on a trolley, bus or train. Room also exists to store a backpack or small bag. A few locations have the new generation of bike lockers, which work on an on-demand system rather than each locker being assigned to one person.

“With the on-demand system, instead of being the one-to-one ratio, we can get up to four people in a locker, because not everyone needs to use the locker all day,” Martin said.

The new on-demand lockers will be slowly replacing the old lockers, Martin said. While the old lockers are solid metal boxes, the new ones are made so people can see what’s inside, making for better security and easier maintenance. They cost SANDAG about $3,000 apiece, and have a 20-year life expectancy,  according to Martin.

With the new on-demand system, it’s possible that a rider will pull up to a cluster of lockers only to find that they’re all taken, Martin said. SANDAG is looking to add a feature in the future that would allow users to check online how many lockers are available at that time.

“That’s a little bit out there, but that’s where we’re headed,” Martin said.