Trump administration removed the White House’s ‘secret’ Capital Bikeshare station

During his time in office, Barack Obama was seen as a “bike-friendly president” due to him sponsoring the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, which funds bike-infrastructure programs across the nation, and occasionally going for bike rides at Martha’s Vineyard.

In comparison, President Donald Trump has already suggested cutting the TIGER program and has now gone so far as to remove a nine-slot Capital Bikeshare station that served employees at The White House.

Washingtonian reported that the “secret” station, which was located at 17th Street NW and State Place NW, was inaccessible to the general public. Obama installed the station in 2010.

Despite the loss of the Capital Bikeshare station at The White House, the ridesharing company is booming in the D.C. area, and has been for quite a few years now. In 2016, there were over 28 million U.S. bike share trips taken, which is a 25 percent increase year-over-year.

In the 1980s, Trump once sponsored a bike race, called the Tour de Trump, that ended up attracting jeering protestors who held signs like, “Hungry? Eat the Rich” and “Trump = Anti-Christ.” After saying that he hoped to eventually make the Tour de Trump “the equivalent to the Tour de France,” Trump’s eponymous race only lasted two years.

In 2015, Trump criticized U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for participating in a bicycle race, saying that he himself "will never be in a bicycle race," according to Business Insider.

The White House has not yet responded to questions about why the dock has been removed.

• Trump Removed the White House’s Capital Bikeshare Station [Washingtonian]

• Obama’s administration requested a Bikeshare station at the White House. Trump’s team just had it removed. [The Washington Post]

• Trump Removes White House Bikeshare Station [U.S. News & World Report]

• Trump Talks About Streamlining Infrastructure [U.S. News & World Report]

• President Obama Goes Bike Riding Again — Here Are the Pics [The Blaze]

• The Strange Tale of Donald Trump’s 1989 Biking Extravaganza [POLITICO]

• Donald Trump, who once sponsored the biggest bike race in America, took a shot at John Kerry for cycling [Business Insider]

• Capital Bikeshare users save an average of $631 per year on travel cost [Curbed DC]