The Fix Is In.

Deep Ellum Bicyclists Get a Fixit Station.

Last October, a $41,000 donation from Downtown Dallas Inc., helped the city begin implementing Phase 1 of the Central Core Connector, as laid out by the 2011 Dallas Bike Plan. In the months since, several shared bike lanes and signs were installed throughout Deep Ellum and Downtown, all in an attempt to to help connect the Santa Fe and Katy Trails and make the city more bike-friendly.

Today, another step in that process was unveiled when a Dero Fixit station was installed in front of the Deep Ellum Foundation offices at 2630 Commerce. The small, metal station features a bike pump and a set of commonly used bike repair tools tethered to a permanent fixture. Also featured on the pole-like fixture? A QR code that leads to some basic bike repair tutorial videos.

If all goes well with this first station, Deep Ellum Foundation president Barry Annino says we can expect more Fixit stations popping up around the neighborhood. Maybe even some bike parking stations, too.

“One is up, so we'll see how it goes,” Annino says when reached by phone this afternoon. “We'll see what the thievery rate is going to be. It's going to be interesting to see how it turns out, although I hate to be a negative Nellie.”

Yes, that's where things begin to get a bit dicey: On August 14 of last year, five new, very similar Fixit stations were installed on campus at the University of Texas at Dallas; just five days after that, the pump mechanism had already been ripped off of at least one of the stations.

While Annino is optimistic about Deep Ellum's new station, he does find himself wondering whether the neighborhood's latest bike-friendly efforts will make it through their trial period. That, of course, depends on the civility of Deep Ellum's many residents and visitors, and how much they truly appreciate the neighborhood's newest amenity.

“These bike stations are for everybody,” Annino says. “So, if somebody steals something, they're stealing from everybody. At the end of the day, we hope this is a real bike-friendly little trail.”

Photos by Justin Wilson.