Why walk when you can ride, and why park when you can valet?
North Vancouver residents may soon be considering those questions as city staff investigates augmenting civic events with a bike valet option, following a motion put forward by Coun. Tony Valente.
Valente, who served as the head of cycling advocacy group of HUB North Shore, suggested the bike valet program could assuage the “parking crunch” that surrounds city events like the Shipyards Night Market.
“We know there’s no silver bullet to deal with our traffic woes but we know that a lot of very small actions can help us,” Valente said at a Jan. 21 council meeting.
Depending on the size of the event, the bike valet program would likely cost between $400 and $1,000, according to city staff. The service, which would function like a coat check, would likely attract more visitors to city events, according to Mayor Linda Buchanan.
“What I do hear from people is, ‘I don’t come to Night Market ‘cause I can’t find a place to park,’” she said. “OK, well, how about we give another option?”
Council unanimously voted to have staff investigate the valet option. The service would likely be a boon to owners of expensive electric-assist bikes, according to Coun. Don Bell.
“It’s a lot of money to park with a simple chain . . . knowing that the bike thieves are pretty active,” he said.
Allowing cyclists, stroller-pushers, scooter riders and skateboarders to check their conveyances will help “declutter events,” according to cycling advocate and HUB member Heather Drugge.
“Services like this give people using active transportation . . . almost like a priority access to events,” she said.
Promoting the use of all “people powered means of transportation,” is fundamental in making North Vancouver healthier, Valente said.
City staff are set to investigate the logistics of the bike valet program as well as ways to cut costs by partnering with local businesses and other organizations.
