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 ($4 per day). A one-week trial costs $30 or simply drop in to the centre and use all the facilties for $8 per day.
The cycle centre is open Monday to Friday, 6am to 8pm and there is also a bike workshop on site.
Cycle2City are the operators of the business. 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.
This is exactly what I want in town, but I am most disappointed to see the cost, and won't be using it because of this. It is roughly the same price as public transport and therefore not incentive enough for me. I doubt my reaction is unique. For this reason, I suspect this centre will fail to make as many mode conversions as you hope. When will the authorities start properly subsidising the greener options?