Biketown maintenance staff recently removed the bike-share rack on SE 81st Avenue and E Burnside Street after it received significant damage. Around noon on February 19th, an older Toyota sedan drove over the rack bending all six lock-post. Lyft, the operator of Portland’s bike rental program, will replace the dock next week.

Biketown bike racks, referred to as stations, are placed on sidewalks or in the parking lane of streets. These designated spaces offer users a dependable location to find the iconic orange bikes. Although riders can lock the bike any place at the end of a trip, Biketown finically incentivizes people to return rented bikes to stations. Since its removal, this station no longer appears on the Biketown System Map. Riders looking to save the $1 fee charged for parking outside a station must travel to the nearest location on NE 78th and Glisan Street. Unlike the damaged unit, the bike-share operators placed that station on the sidewalk.

All bike spaces were empty when the crash occurred, and no injuries were reported. With only plastic delineator posts marking the station’s footprint, this type of collision could happen again. However, this is the first reported incident at this location since its installation 18 months ago. Expect a new station at SE 81st Avenue and E Burnside Street by March 10th.

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