Mc Donald's Cycle Center - Facilities

Facilities

When the heated and air conditioned McDonald's Cycle Center opened, bicycle parking facilities with amenities, which had first appeared in the U.S. on the West Coast, did not exist in the Midwest. When it opened in 2006 the bike station was one of the country's largest and most modern. The Cycle Center's bicycle parking facilities use high-capacity, two-tiered DoubleParker racks that accommodate more than twice as many bicycles per square foot as traditional bike racks. These racks were manufactured by Josta, a German manufacturer of bicycle parking systems and stands. The interior design was a joint collaboration between the city of Chicago, Josta, and Cycle-Safe, Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, which also produces lockers and racks for bicycles. The Chicago Park District runs the station, which has a full-time staff.

The Cycle Center is at 239 East Randolph Street (at Columbus Drive), and offers convenient connections to mass transit at the nearby Chicago Transit Authority hub, the McCormick Place Busway and Metra trains. For the annual series of festivals held in Grant Park, such as Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago, the McDonald's Cycle Center is complemented by the Chase Bike Valet at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Monroe Street, which is one block east of Millennium Park. Chase Bank and organizations such as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation sponsor the Chase Bike Valet. The city and its Cycle Center are considered exemplary by other cities in pursuit of covered, secure bicycle parking near public transportation.