Town unveils new bike depot in parking deck

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A bike depot was officially opened in downtown Bloomfield on Friday, March 24. The structure looks similar to a small greenhouse and is tucked away, at ground level, in a corner of the Glenwood Villages parking deck. It is made of clear, polycarbonate windows supported by aluminum studs and has floor and wall racks to accommodate 38 bikes

The depot was made possible through the Partners for Health Foundation and the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition. Brian Stolar, the coalition board chairman, said the foundation provided most of the $32,000 to construct the depot.

The Bloomfield facility is the second one in the area, he said. The first is at the Bay Street station depot in Montclair where NJ Transit has a stop. Stolar said bike depots were originally his idea and their purpose was to accommodate commuters. The Glenwood Villages park deck is across Lackawanna Place from the NJT Midtown Direct line.

“The goal was to create a convenient way to ride a bike to a train station,” Stolar said. “It is a very unique concept in NJ and the Northeast. Really, what was missing was a place where a person could leave their bike safely.”

But the Bloomfield depot is available to all bicycle users for $15 per month. For $30 per month, both the Bay Street and Bloomfield depots can be used. The annual fee for the Bloomfield site is $165. Monthly and annual rates at Bay Street are higher.

According to Cyndi Steiner, the coalition executive director, an individual can store more than one bike in the Bloomfield depot but must pay a fee for each. There is a surveillance camera inside the depot, and a repair station. The facility is entered by using a code plus a key fob.

The official opening was an opportunity for a press conference. It was a chilly day that felt colder inside the parking deck where no sun fell. But on hand were Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia and Freeholder Brendan Gill, Essex-D. Venezia called the opening a great day for Bloomfield.

He told a crowd of 20 people that from the start, he liked the idea of a bike depot.
“I wish we were the first but we’re second,” he said.

The mayor said the township is looking into having bike lanes. It currently has none.

Gill said the depot represented the future.
“And the future is about two of the oldest things around: walking and biking,” he said. “It represents not only health but a vibrant community.”

According to Stolar, the Montclair facility, which can hold 24 bikes, is almost at capacity. He said a third depot is planned for Elizabeth with a late-summer opening.

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