City Council approves 1,000 additional bike parking spots for downtown Vancouver

One thousand additional secure bike parking spots and storage locations are coming to downtown Vancouver in an effort to encourage more people to choose cycling as their mode of transportation.

Earlier this morning, Vancouver City Council approved Councillor George Affleck’s motion to find ways to add safe and more convenient ways to park a bike. Bike racks at central locations are often full with bicycles, and they can also be an unsafe location to park a bike.

The motion provides city staff with the direction to explore funding opportunities for implementing the plan, possibly from the Parking Sites Reserve and developer-funded community amenity contributions, and identify the locations in greatest need of additional bike parking spaces.

Amenities such as shower facilities and repair centres will also be considered with potential partners.

Statistics indicate that more bikes are stolen than cars in Vancouver, given that many bikes are worth just as much as certain cars, generally less difficult to trace and less likely to be investigated.

The bike parking initiative adds to the municipal government’s plans for a comprehensive bike share system within the downtown Vancouver peninsula and Central Broadway corridor. Last month, the City reaffirmed its support for the bike share program and announced it is seeking a new contractor to finance, install and operate the infrastructure.