Dear Editor:
There has been much work done to make cycling safer on our streets.
Bike lending/renting has been added and will be expanded to cargo bikes by the DNV. However, there is a significant missing element: how to safely secure a bike at a destination.
As a biker myself that wants to use my bike more for errands, I hesitate and more often than not opt for my car as I do not feel secure in the safety of my bike when I get to a destination. Will there be a bike rack? Is the rack in a safe place with high visibility? Often the answer is “no.”
I would like to see secure locking stations mandated to be installed at shopping malls and public spaces. I noted a “pay for locking” station at the SeaBus Terminal.
This needs to be available widely. Locks can be cut. We need more secure options that may require a small payment ($1?) but is tamper-proof. Similar to lockers that are available in gyms and hotel rooms, there is a combination/card access that perhaps secures a steel cage/bar around the bike. If tampered with, an alarm will sound.
In my mind, secure storage at a destination is the missing link to get more people out of their cars and onto their bikes for daily commuting and errands.
Ingrid Gutzmann
North Vancouver
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking or post a comment below.
