The City of Kamloops is excited to offer a new community asset that will make cycling to community events more attractive and secure.
The Kamloops Bike Valet kit offers portable bike racks, tents, and other supplies that event organizers can borrow to offer complimentary secure bike parking. Just like a coat check, bikes are tagged and owners receive a claim stub. Event personnel and volunteers watch over the parked bikes so that participants can enjoy the event worry free until they bring their stub back to claim their bike.
This initiative is made possible by a $23,500 donation from New Afton’s Community Investment Fund and through collaboration with the Kamloops Cycling Coalition and other stakeholders advocating for people-focused solutions to increasing the use of active transportation modes in our community.
The bike valet initiative was conceptualized in 2019 when the City of Kamloops and New Afton engaged in conversations on ways to align their energy and emissions reduction goals. Knowing that 66% of Kamloops’ community emissions are from motor vehicles, collaborating on an initiative that advances active transportation priorities in the Community Climate Action Plan, Transportation Master Plan, and Electric Vehicle and E-Bike Strategy seemed like a natural fit.
“As e-bike use continues to grow, driven in part by their ability to reduce barriers to biking like topography and distance, we see the need and demand for secure bike parking increasing,” said Glen Cheetham, the City’s Climate and Sustainability Manager.
In 2022, the Kamloops Cycling Coalition initiated a pilot program that saw bike valet services pop up at events like Ribfest, BrewLoops, and Canada Day. The success of this pilot program signaled that the community was receptive to seeing more of this service in the community.
“A spin-off of a people-led solution to enhancing bike security is the community conversations it creates about cycling in Kamloops, hopefully fostering a commuter cycling culture that builds upon our love for recreational biking,” said Deb Alore, Kamloops Cycling Coalition board member.
Spurred by New Gold’s donation, the City of Kamloops, in partnership with Youth Climate Corps BC and with funding from BC Hydro, is sponsoring the Kamloops Bike Valet for the 2023 Saturday Kamloops Farmers' Market and on the following dates and times during the Memorial Cup (set up on the north side of Cunliffe House at Riverside Park):
May 26 – 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
May 27 – 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
May 28 – 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
May 29 – 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
May 30* – 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
May 31 – 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
June 1 – 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
June 2 – 4:00 pm – 9:00pm
*A cheque presentation with New Gold and the City of Kamloops is scheduled for Tuesday, May 30 at 4:00 pm at the Memorial Cup Bike Valet site.
To learn more about the Kamloops Bike Valet, please contact sustainable@kamloops.ca.
