Biking to the big game is easy with bike valet
Bike valet is a free, secure service available on Rainier Vista at every Husky football home game. Misty Shock Rule/University of Washington
The Keefe family rolled up to a tent on Rainier Vista just as the UW vs. Iowa football game was about to start. Matt Keefe pedaled a cargo bike, while his wife Alex and their two kids sat in a big bucket on its front. It was their first time using the bike valet, a service offered by UW’s Transportation Services.
“So do we use our own locks?” Matt Keefe asked Alex Rian, one of the student workers who staff the valet.
“No need,” Rian said. “We are the locks.”
Bike valet is a free, secure service available at every Husky football home game. Student workers and Transportation Services staff open the area up two hours before game start and close it an hour after it ends. Bikes are kept in a roped-off area, and staff take turns on patrol to watch over everything.
The service is not only for bikes. Scooters are welcome too.
Alex Keefe said she and her husband were “psyched” to take their kids to a game for the first time, but they initially weren’t sure how they were going to get there.
“We were debating. We were like, ‘I don’t know. What are we going to do?’” she said. “He looked it up [and found bike valet] … We’re so grateful.”
The Keefe family arrives at the bike valet on their cargo bike. Misty Shock Rule/University of Washington
Bike valet regulars with their Husky bikes throw "dubs up." Misty Shock Rule
Bike valet isn't only for bikes. You can park your scooter too. Misty Shock Rule
From bike valet, you can hear the roar of the crowd and see fireworks too. Misty Shock Rule
Iowa fans using bike valet. "We do not discriminate. If you want to bike to the game, you're welcome," said the UW's Laura Beck. "You don't have to pledge allegiance to the Huskies." Misty Shock Rule
This was the first visit for the Keefes, but there are regulars who use bike valet at every home game. Active Transportation Specialist Laura Beck said one cyclist mentioned they’ve been coming for 20 years.
The Oct. 9 game was a Friday game starting at 6 p.m., and the weather was cloudy. About 80 bikes checked in, a smaller number than average, but about the number who come to every game. In contrast, 260 bikes used the service at the first home game on Sept. 6. That game was bound to attract a lot of Husky cyclists: The weather was sunny, the game started at 1 p.m. and it was the Apple Cup, after all.
For some, bike valet is what makes cycling to the game possible.
“I would think twice about biking if they didn't have the service, because bikes are getting stolen a lot,” said Sue Lee.
Reed Parker said that he’d still bike to the games even if the service wasn’t there, but he likes how convenient it is. If he used a bike rack, he wouldn’t feel safe leaving behind stuff like extra clothing, so he’d have to wear it all into the game.
“It's just awesome to be able to just leave it all here and not worry about it, for free and everything,” he said. “I tell people about bike valet all the time. A lot of people don't know that it's here.”
Bike valet is just one element of a larger effort to promote cycling and commuting options other than driving alone to campus.
"It's a really good representation of what we're trying to achieve, which is just better options and secure options for cyclists on campus," said Beck, who manages UW’s biking infrastructure.
Reducing the drive-alone rate to 12% is a UW goal laid out in its 2019 Campus Master Plan, the University’s land use agreement with the City of Seattle. The latest commute survey shows the goal within reach, with 15.5% reporting they drove to campus alone.
Biking can be a good alternative to driving because both modes provide flexibility to set your own schedule, said Beck. And electric bikes make it even easier, because you can commute by bike without having to do a full workout.
For those curious about bike commuting, the UW is a good place to get rolling. In April, the UW earned the Gold-level Bicycle Friendly University designation from the League of American Bicyclists, and Seattle is consistently rated one of the best bike cities in the country.
“My best advice is to just try it,” Beck said. “I think the hardest part about starting a bike commute is starting it. That first time, if you're unfamiliar with it, can seem scary. But if you just try it, you can really see exactly how it's going to be.”
