As Baton Rouge becomes more bike friendly, the Downtown Development District is installing two bike repair stations downtown aimed at making it easier for cyclists to change a tire, inflate a tube and tend to other bike troubles that might arise on a ride through downtown.
The two stations, which will be located on the River Road bike path across from the Raising Cane’s River Center and on North Boulevard near Sixth Street, cost around $2,500 each and were paid for with grant funds the DDD received related to the ongoing greenway project, says DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer.
The bike repair stations, which are constructed of heavy-duty steel and will be bolted to the ground, are not related to the city’s new bike sharing program scheduled to launch later this year. The repair stations can be used by any cyclist on any bike.
Rhorer says he got the idea for the stations after seeing them while visiting the Sierra Nevada brewery in Asheville, North Carolina, on a trip with his wife.
“Everybody up there was on a bike and they had these stations and people were using them like crazy,” he says. “I said we need that downtown.”
If all goes well with the stations, Rhorer plans to acquire and install two more in the future.
