It may be the best bike-share program in the country, but not even Capital Bikeshare can stand up to the inauguration. In an email to customers today, Bikeshare blamed traffic restrictions and security requirements for a whole host of problems hopeful Bikeshare users will face around the Mall over the next week.
Starting this Wednesday, Bikeshare will start uninstalling six downtown stations ahead of the parade. Two more stations on the Mall won’t be operational on Inauguration Day until 7 p.m. Adding to potential bikeshare hassles, traffic bans will make it harder to rebalance the number of bikes at downtown stations.
In place of the removed stations, Bikeshare will be operating from downtown bike corrals from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on workdays and all day on Inauguration Day. You can see the full list below, but just don’t expect to definitely get a bike after the event. “You will be guaranteed a place to drop off your Capital Bikeshare bike but we cannot guarantee a bike for return trips,” Bikeshare warns.
Station Removals and Closures
On Wednesday, January 16, the following stations will be removed:
- 10th & E St NW
- 10th & Constitution Ave NW
- 15th & NY Ave NW
On Thursday, January 17th the following stations will be removed:
- Reagan Building/14th & D St NW
- 14th & G St NW
- 14th & H St NW
There will be two stations on the National Mall that will be out of service during the Inauguration: 14th and Jefferson and 12th and Jefferson (Smithsonian Metro). These stations will be shut down during the event and will open up in the evening after the parade has finished. We are expecting this to be around 7pm.
Bike Corrals Before and After the Inauguration
In order to accommodate our members while these stations are taken off the street, we will be hosting a bike corral at the 13th and NY NW station from 8am to 10am. The morning corral will be available on the following days:
- Wednesday, January 16th
- Thursday, January 17th
- Friday, January 18th
- Tuesday, January 22nd
- Wednesday, January 23rd
- Thursday, January 24th
Please note that while we can guarantee you a place to dock your bike, we cannot guarantee that a bike will be available for your return trip, so please plan accordingly.
Inauguration Day Corrals
To accommodate the anticipated high usage of Capital Bikeshare on Monday, January 21st, we will be hosting two bike corrals, one each on the north and south sides of the security perimeter: The north corral will be held at the 17th and K NW station next to Farragut Square. The south corral will be at the 12th and Independence Ave SW (USDA) station. Both corrals will be open from 7am to 5pm. You will be guaranteed a place to drop off your Capital Bikeshare bike but we cannot guarantee a bike for return trips.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery.