Vancouver Gets On-street Bike Parking

For some Vancouverites, parking their ride will be as easy as, well, parking a car. They simply stop and roll into an on-street parking space – no need to walk beside their bike along the sidewalk to reach a bike rack or, cough, weave between pedestrians to the nearest available pole or parking meter. Cyclists will also have the advantage of not ever having to parallel park.

The bike racks sit near the corner of Commercial Drive – one of Vancouver’s busiest corridors – and East 6th Avenue. White flexible pylons cordon off the area and make it easy for cyclists to roll into the parking-spot-turned-bike-corral without obstructing oncoming traffic.

The corral is still considered to be in the pilot phase. Though if it’s anything like the Burrard Street Bridge bike lane trial and a slew of other bike infrastructure projects that have got underway since the election of Vancouver’s pro-cycling Mayor Gregor Robertson, this corral will likely stay put.

The corrals could also improve sight lines for cyclists and drivers alike. The city purposefully selected a corner location for the on-street racks since this provides more space for bicycle parking and “can also help with pedestrian and vehicle visibility.”

Each parking spot’s-worth of space can accommodate nine bicycle racks and 18 bicycles.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the trial bike corral or other bike parking initiatives, you can contact the City of Vancouver at: bikeparking@vancouver.ca

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