Photo courtesy of la.streetsblog.org
By Gabby Korcheva
VANCOUVER, BC – With fuel prices on the rise, many Vancouver residents are looking around for other modes of transportation, in particular, a city bike share program.
The City of Vancouver has already held talks with a group called Bike Share BC, according to Councilor Geoff Meggs, and are looking to discuss options with other bike share organizations as well.
A survey of residents and visitors in Montreal, home to one of the largest bike share programs in North America, reported that if a similar public bicycle system was available in Vancouver, about 80 percent would use it in the summer and 70 percent would use it in the winter.
As with other bike share programs, bike stations would be set up throughout the city and people could use a credit card to rent a bike and later return it to another kiosk. However, some issues still remain to be resolved: theft and British Columbia's mandatory helmet law.
The city is currently seeking feedback and gradually moving towards a point where they can take definitive steps to move this project in one direction or another.
For more information about attending one of the open houses and to add your voice to the debate, visit the City of Vancouver’s Public Bicycle System website.