Five Capital Bikeshare stations could be coming to the National Mall in time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a key target for starting the popular bike-sharing service there.
The National Park Service has five station sites in mind, clustered around the National Mall, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials and Washington Monument.
Now the service has submitted the plan to the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for approval, said National Mall spokeswoman Carol Johnson. If both commissions sign off, she said, the park service would issue a permit and the stations could be added.
If all goes according to plan, she said, the stations could be up and running for the March 20 start of the cherry blossom festival. The annual event, which attracts thousands to the Tidal Basin, is celebrating its 100th anniversary, so the event is running longer this year for a total of five weeks.
The addition of the bike stations would be a big change for the park service, which had previously said a contract with Tourmobile sight-seeing buses limited public transportation options along the Mall.
