Thomas MacMillan Photo
Cyclists with a screw loose have a new way to get the help they need.
They’ll find that help attached to a cable outside the train station on Union Avenue. The station’s bike-parking area now has a bike-repair station, equipped with wrenches and screwdrivers and even a bike pump.
The bike-repair stand is one of a couple new amenities for cyclists at the station, along with 10 new bike-storage lockers. Another bike-repair stand is on its way to the corner of Temple and George, said David Panagore, acting head of the New Haven Parking Authority. (The Devil’s Gear bike shop also offers public-access tools during business hours in Pitkin Plaza.)
Panagore (pictured) announced that news Monday morning at an open house for the authority’s new and improved downtown office, at the same corner.
As part of an effort to make the authority more accessible, the organization has transferred staff from its second-floor Union Station office to the downtown location.
Previously, only one person worked out of the Temple and George office, Panagore said. Now it contains managers for security and operations, and a freshly built “customer service counter.” That means people can have their questions answered without having to search out the authority offices hidden away in Union Station.
The authority still has staff at its Union Station office, like people in charge of construction, and other projects that aren’t outward-facing.
Panagore said the authority recently made a change to its management structure, assigning one manager to each garage rather than having several managers who share responsibility for multiple garages. The previous system meant that managers wouldn’t pay attention to details like gum on the the floors. Now they’re on top of it, Panagore said.
Panagore said the authority is planning to install bike racks and a bike-repair station at the southeast corner of Temple and George. Union Station’s bike-repair stand appeared two months ago. It features a variety of tools for basic bike repairs, as well as a stand to hold your bike while you work on it. The stand also has a sticker with a QR code linking people to a site with basic bike-repair instructions.
More recently, the station installed 10 bike-storage lockers behind the bike-parking area. Panagore said these will be free to use; people have to pay only a deposit for a key. The lockers are designed for cyclists who want a more secure or sheltered option for storing their bikes when they take a train.