Bike enjoyers will have noticed some newfangled technology going in around Whistler this past season, with some new e-bike charging stations doubling as bike racks being installed at three locations.
The new racks, located at Meadow Park, Village Square and Whistler Olympic Plaza have been installed as part of a one-year trial of the technology, and according to the RMOW, they pair well with the recently-adopted Active Transportation Strategy of the municipality.
“It’s been exciting for us this year to see these free smart, secure bike racks set up in Whistler,” said the RMOW’s acting manager of climate action and environment, Maria Thorlakson.
“Not only do the smart racks align with the Active Transportation Strategy and the Big Moves Climate Action Implementation Plan, but it also provides a convenient way to lock your bike and charge your e-bike.”
A feature of the racks (or perhaps the entire point) is that they lock and charge a bike, freeing up users from having to carry around their own locks.
“A decent bike lock costs approximately $100 or more and can be burdensome to carry around. After the first year, the maintenance and operations of the racks will only cost $100 per stall, per month, making these racks a cost-effective way to provide secure bike parking for the community. We are pleased see the uptake on the program so far and look forward to seeing the user data at the end of the season.”
In total there are 25 stalls divided between the three locations: Eight at Meadow Park, five at Village Square, and 12 at Olympic Plaza. Using the racks requires an App.
The trial does have a pricetag attached for the municipality.
According to the RMOW, the total for the first year is $58,200, which is inclusive of the installation of racks, operation, maintenance, and lease fee.
That price will drop if the contract is renewed with Vancouver-based company, Urban Racks however, with the annual cost in years two and three projected to be around $37,700.
“The idea of this trial program is to be adaptable to usage data and community feedback,” said an RMOW communications official in an email to Pique.
“We will evaluate these after the first year to determine how best to plan for the upcoming years. We know that multiple secure bike parking solutions are needed for our community and trial programs like these allow us to test new solutions. We plan to explore more secure bike parking options in the future.”
The municipality will continue to hoover up data on how well-used the bike racks are, together with user feedback on the effectiveness of the new racks, which acts as an addition to, rather than a replacement of existing bike storage infrastructure.
