Chicago's Awesome McDonald’s Cycle Center

Chicago's Awesome McDonald’s Cycle Center (Video Tour)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05.26.09
Cars & Transportation (bikes)

Build It and They Will Come...
There are many factors that can encourage more people to bike to work, from more bike-friendly employers, to changing the mainstream perception of bike commuters, to physically separated bike lanes. But even if you have all that, there's something that can make it all better, the cherry on top... A nice bike-center, a place where you can safely park, get maintenance done, take a shower, meet other cyclists, etc. Chicago's McDonald's Bike Center is a great example of how to do this right. Check out the video tour below.

Other Cities, Look and Learn
Our friends at Streetfilms (thanks Clarence!) have put together another great video (below). Clarence writes:

It's enough to make bike commuters in many cities drool. The center boasts state-of-the-art showering facilities, secure bicycle parking for 300, a repair station, towel service, is temperature-controlled, and features the constant presence of the Chicago Lakefront Police bike patrol, which shares the facility and maintains its bikes on site. The station is extremely popular, with 500 members at a time and a waiting list of eager riders ready to join. But even if you aren't a member you can still take advantage of the free bike parking, and mechanics are on duty to repair anyone's bikes seven days a week.