This story has been updated.
Bike lanes may be humming with electricity next spring, following City of North Vancouver council’s unanimous decision Monday to support an e-bike share pilot project.
Using a smartphone app, city residents and workers can find, rent, and lock bikes, likely paying per minute or shelling out a flat fee for a designated period.
Discussing the uptake in city walkability around densified areas, Mayor Linda Buchanan suggested the free-floating, dockless bike share program could be transformative.
“This will be, I think, a game-changer in terms of being able to move people from perhaps Lower Lonsdale to Central Lonsdale from Marine Drive to Central Lonsdale by e-bike,” she said.
While supportive of the initiative, city resident and urban studies student Steve Tornes urged the city to craft specific metrics to gauge the project’s success.
While the project may offer another commuting options and some health benefits, “We should not expect bike share to replace many personal vehicle trips,” according to Tornes.
The program’s success will rely on safe, separated bike lanes, according to Coun. Jessica McIlroy. “The most common barrier for why people do not bike is because of the lack of safe infrastructure,” she said.
E-bikes are becoming a “viable alternative” to driving or taking a ride-hailing service, according to a city staff report.
A UBC study of Vancouver’s bike share program found 29 per cent of more than 3,000 total bicycle rentals replaced transit trips while 16 per cent replaced car trips.
Bike share users are: “more likely to be male, white, more educated and more affluent,” according to Tornes, who urged council to incorporate a “social equity component” in the project.
Noting costs can range up to 30 cents per minute, Coun. Tina Hu stressed the need for an affordable bike share system.
The emphasis on e-bikes is intended to overcome barriers like topography, storage and “even weather,” according to the staff report. E-bikes are also intended to make the city more attractive for tourists and improve “first and last mile” transit connections.
Monitoring and evaluation of the project will likely require the equivalent of half a full-time employee during the start-up phase.
There are no plans to initiate a scooter-share program, according to city staff.
