Thanks to a partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks professional baseball team, Valley Metro in Phoenix is helping bicycle riders find more places in the downtown area where they can secure and leave their bikes. Valley Metro installed the first of the uniquely designed bike racks on Feb. 6.

“By increasing available bicycle parking, more riders will feel comfortable with traveling to a venue by bike,” said Suzanne Day, Valley Metro business services representative. “Bikes are a great way to exercise and contribute to cleaner air at the same time.”

Bicycles can also provide an easy way to extend a transit trip because they can be loaded onto light rail trains and buses. The valley’s bus system carries more than 1.5 million bikes each year.

The baseball team contributed $5 to the bike rack effort from each ticket purchased by participants in last year’s Great Bike Chase, a family bike ride hosted by Valley Metro that begins in several different valley locations and ends at Chase Field for a Diamondbacks baseball game. More than 300 riders participated, contributing to the creation of 11 bicycle racks.

The heavy-gauge steel racks, manufactured by Arizona Correctional Industries, feature a medallion designed by local artist Lilydog Industries. The medallion is accented with the buyer’s choice of five different slogans—such as “Bikes Welcome” or “Ride On”—encircled by a chain ring design. Varying in size to accommodate between four and 12 bikes, the racks are made available to businesses, neighborhoods, and organizations at 50 percent of the cost to build. Valley Metro funds the remaining cost with the money donated by the Diamondbacks.