Coun. Matt Dell plans to bring forward a motion to set up a new bike-share program in Victoria, despite the failures of the previous one.
After testing out EVO Car Share’s electric bike, Dell said he wants to bring forward a motion to set up a community bike-share program with bikes that have up-to-date anti-theft devices and GPS trackers.
“The new e-bike rental programs are like Ferrari’s compared to those U-bikes,” Dell said. “The EVO ones are fully electric, have great anti-theft devices and better organizational systems.”
Though previous bike-share attempts in Victoria have resulted in theft and damages, Dell said he’s not expecting pushback.
The highlight of my week was testing this @EvoCarShare electric bike. This thing is FAST and comfortable. It has advanced GSP, so uses a "digital docking" system. To reduce theft, it's self-locking, very heavy and GSP-tracked. I'd love to see an e-bike share in #yyj ASAP. pic.twitter.com/9Jj75iPoO5
— Matt Dell (@mattdellok) March 10, 2023
“I think this is broadly supported, but it’s a capacity issue,” Dell said. “Setting this up will require some city staff time, to help a company apply for a business license, build bike docking stations, and monitor for issues. We have a lot of projects in the go, so we just need to make space for this.”
Dell said that with the right plans the bike-share stations would be accessible and flexible, offering riders a great alternative to walking or driving.
‘There would be digital ‘docking stations’ and key community hubs, and people could get a bike from a docking station, and drop if off at another docking station,” he said. “It’s a very flexible system.”
Additionally, Dell said various changes to new bike-share programs will go a long way towards keeping them in the community. Among anti-theft devices and more secure GPS system, Dell said firmly established companies with local support and infrastructure will help programs like EVO’s operate more smoothly than the one’s from the past.
READ MORE: Oak Bay done with U-Bicycle experiment
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