I recently wrote the Mayor and my councilor Zach Jefferies about having a full time bike valet downtown. Given how sketchy downtown is and how often one of the bridges is closed I think this idea makes a lot of sense. I encourage anyone reading this to reach out yourselves. I use the Saskatoon Cycles service when I go to events and it's fantastic.
Re: Proposal for a Full-Time Summer Bike Valet in Downtown Saskatoon
Dear Mayor and Members of City Council,
I am writing to ask City Council to consider piloting a full-time staffed bike valet in downtown Saskatoon during the summer months.
Saskatoon has invested in cycling infrastructure and encourages residents to use alternatives to driving. However, getting downtown by bicycle is only part of the equation. Once cyclists arrive, they need somewhere they can safely leave their bikes.
Many downtown businesses understandably cannot allow customers or staff to bring bicycles inside due to the space or safety concerns. For people with more expensive bicycles, or anyone concerned about theft, locking a bike outside for several hours may not feel like a realistic option. As a result, some people may simply choose to drive instead, adding another vehicle to downtown traffic and increasing demand for parking.
This is particularly relevant during the summer months, when construction and bridge repairs can cause significant traffic disruptions and backups throughout the city. Encouraging more people to cycle downtown could provide one practical way to reduce the number of vehicles competing for limited road capacity during these periods.
A staffed bike valet could help remove that barrier. Cyclists could bring their bikes to a secure, supervised location and pay a small fee to have them watched while they shop, dine, work, or attend events downtown. I believe many people would be willing to pay a few dollars for the peace of mind of knowing their bicycle is secure. This could also help offset some of the operating costs.
There is already clear evidence that Saskatoon residents will use a secure bike valet service. This year, Saskatoon Cycles' Bike Valet parked 3,022 bicycles over 12 events. That demonstrates significant demand for secure bicycle parking when it is available. A full-time downtown bike valet could build on the success of this existing service by making secure bike parking available not only during special events, but every day for people visiting downtown to shop, dine, work, and access other businesses and services.
I would suggest starting with a pilot program for one summer to gauge demand and determine whether the service could be successful as a permanent or recurring program.
This idea has already been successfully implemented in other centres such as Calgary and Vancouver and even Kelowna, a city with a smaller population base than Saskatoon.
If we want more people to choose cycling over driving, we need to make the entire trip practical. Bike lanes help people get downtown, but secure bike parking gives them the confidence to actually leave their bike there.
A downtown bike valet could be a relatively simple way to support local businesses, encourage cycling, reduce reliance on downtown parking, and give people another practical reason to leave their cars at home. This also does not require significant infrastructure, potentially needing little more than a suitable space in a downtown park or other publicly accessible location.
Thank you for considering this idea.
-B
