Five Capital Bikeshare locations could be coming to the National Mall, the first foray for the popular bike-sharing mode at Washington’s most visited landmarks.
The National Park Service began seeking public input on Tuesday on five proposed locations for bikeshare stations clustered around the National Mall, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials and Washington Monument.
“The National Park Service is moving forward in order to work with and find locations to accommodate Capital Bikeshare on the National Mall,” spokesman Bill Line told The Washington Examiner.
The move is a sharp turnaround for the park service, which has previously strictly limited what transportation could be based at its parks that dot the Washington region. Pedi-cabs, taxis and the D.C. Circulator have all been limited in how close to the Mall they can operate. That also has kept the growing Capital Bikeshare system from venturing into Lincoln Park, McPherson Square, along the George Washington Parkway and the Mall.
But Line disagrees, arguing that the service has been considering adding bikeshare stations to the crown jewel, the Mall, for a while.
“There was talk and consideration of it all along,” Line said. “We needed to figure out how best to implement it.”
He said the service could consider adding stations to the George Washington Parkway or Mount Vernon Trail and other locations in the future.
It’s not clear when the stations could open — or whether cherry blossom peepers could count on using bikeshare stations this spring. Line said the service will carefully review the comments but does not face any regulatory timeline on when it makes its decision. “The public safety is first and foremost paramount,” he said.
