A new type of bicycle infrastructure has appeared in DC. “Stairchannels” are outdoor stairways with grooved ramps on either side that allow bicycles to be easily carried up or down the stairs.

WMATA recently installed one at the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station. The availability of the stairchannel reduces the need for costly and frequently broken elevators, so although it’s not a perfect solution (cyclists should dismount to use it), it is still nice to have.

I am not sure, but *think* it is the first public stairchannel in our region. An anonymous commenter says there is one on the Capital Crescent Trail near Bethesda.

Here are a couple of pictures, from the PlanItMetro blog.