After a lengthy gestation period, Brisbane's world-class commuter cycling facility opened its doors on June 10, 2008.
The King George Square Cycle Centre tempts riders with end-of-trip facilities for 420 cyclists: secure parking, showers (with a fresh towel every day), lockers, plus a laundry and ironing service.
Entry to the centre is from Roma Street, almost directly under the Turbot Street overpass. An enticing green bike lane snakes down to the main entrance to the facility, where riders dismount and wheel into the centre.
Once through reception (users of the facility are issued with a swipe card for access), you enter the bike parking area. The racks are a sophisticated two-level design, which hold standard design bicycles, but not recumbents or tricycles. The upper-level rack slides out and tilts down to enable the user to easily roll their bike into position.
With the bicycle racked and locked, commuters can have a refreshing shower. There are 18 showers in the male section and 15 in the female section. You’ll see four vanity basins on each side, with a dry shaving area for the men with powerpoints for electric razors.
The high ceiling and natural lighting of the main bike parking area gives the centre a feeling of spaciousness, despite its capacity for more than 400 bikes.
The pricing structure rewards those who are prepared to make a six-month commitment ($5 per day). For a one-week trial it costs $7 per day.
The cycle centre is open Monday to Friday, 6am to 8pm. At the time of writing, there's plenty of room. But don't wait too long. There's been plenty of discussion about this concept over the years, and Brisbane cycling commuters won't let this opportunity pass them by.
Cycle2City are the operators of the business. Business partners John Hack and Andrew Onley worked towards building this facility for most of the current century. Their original idea was mooted in Bicycle Queensland's newsletter in 2000 and Brisbane City Council and Queensland Transport jointly funded the centre at a cost of $6 million. The site is across Ann Street, but is still known as the King George Square Cycle Centre or cycle2city.
State Government and Brisbane City Council have welcomed the centre as part of the battle against traffic congestion. Brisbane City Councillor Jane Prentice said the people of Brisbane now had the perfect reason to ditch the car in favour of more active, healthy and sustainable travel options.
"King George Square Cycle Centre demonstrates our commitment to encouraging people to live a more active, healthy and sustainable lifestyle," said Cr Prentice.
"The more people we get travelling on two wheels or two legs, the more cars we take off the road enabling us to live healthier and greener lifestyles that will contribute to ensuring Brisbane's long-term sustainability."
Transport Minister John Mickel said that, by using the King George Square Cycle Centre, the average commuter could save more than $25 dollars per day.
"The average car commuter can spend up to $33 per day on off-street parking alone when travelling into the CBD," Mr Mickel said.
