After a four-month hiatus, the free bike valet is set to return to Victoria on Friday, March 17th.
After launching the secure bike storage option with positive acclaim, many cyclists throughout Victoria voiced their displeasure at the fact that the much-loved fixture would be shut down for the winter months when it became such an incentive for cyclists to ride their bikes through all seasons
“We heard strong support for the Bike Valet after its successful debut in 2022,” said Mayor Marianne Alto. “The valet provides a secure and convenient service for residents, visitors and commuters, and encourages more people to visit, shop and dine downtown.”
The bike valet is a pilot program initiated as part of the City’s enhanced bicycle parking strategy. It first launched in June 2022 and operated until November 2022.
📢 Downtown Victoria Bike Valet is NOW OPEN! 🚲 🔒
We've been working hard with @BESTmobility and @CityOfVictoria to launch the FREE Downtown Bike Valet Service. Today is the big day! Come on down to City Hall and check it out! #yyjbike #victoriabc pic.twitter.com/XkO4aLeeO9— Capital Bike (@CapitalBikeCa) June 24, 2022
In its first year, the valet parked over 11,000 bikes throughout the city and registered over 800 bicycles in Project 529, the Victoria Police Department’s official bicycle registration system.
Feedback from users was overwhelmingly positive with 77% of 2022 survey respondents saying they cycled downtown more often and 82% stayed downtown longer.
“You can park for a few minutes or a few hours without having to worry about your panniers, lights, or helmets,” Mayor Alto adds. “The valet makes it easy to travel to work, attend festivals, go to appointments, or enjoy the diverse restaurants and shops downtown.”
The valet will be operated by Better Environmentally Sound Transportation and Capital Bike, who successfully operated the service in 2022 and were selected through a competitive procurement process.
The service will be open seven days a week with the following hours:
Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Did you utilize the secure bike storage last year? Let us know what you thought of it in the comment section below.
