Vancouver gets bike bus to Tsawwassen ferry terminal, while Victoria launches bike valet services

With a new bike bus, TransLink hopes to make things easier for Metro Vancouver cyclists taking a ferry to Vancouver Island. Meanwhile, the City of Victoria has launched a new bike valet service downtown.

TransLink says itsbike bus will operate during the summer betweenBridgeport Station in Richmondand the Tsawwassenferry terminal.

The retrofitted buses will have capacity for nine bikes seven more than standard buses and 18 passengers.

The bus will follow the existing 620 route, whichis popular with cyclists, and haveseparate loading and unloading bays at Bridgeport Station and Ladner Exchange. The bus' display will read '900 Bike Bus' to either Bridgeport Station or Tsawwassenferry.

From July 1 to Sept. 5, the bus will operateon Fridays, weekends and holidays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with hourlydepartures that alignwith ferry sailings.

TransLinksays there is a possibility for the buses torun every summer.

Jordan Knutsen with B.C. Ferries saysthey carried more than 77,000 bicycles independent of a vehicle across the network in the last fiscal year. More than 15,000 of those bikes travelled through the Tsawwassen terminal.

TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn says the bike bus fitswith itsclimate action strategy.

"By seamlessly combining cycling with transit, the bike bus is just one of many ways that we are reducing our carbon footprint," he said.

A valet for bikes, scooters, strollers

On Friday, the City of Victorialaunched a bike valet pilot, where cyclists will be able to park their bikes for freeat a secure location at city hall near the Pandora Avenue cycling route.

Cyclists using the service will have an attendant give them a tag number and their bike will besecurely locked. Push scooters, strollers and other modes of active transportation are also welcome.

Mayor Lisa Helps says the pilot is a response to thesignificant increase inpeople cycling into the downtown area.

"People want to come downtown with their kids, they want to spend the day or come down to work and have asafe, secure place to keep their bikes," Helps said.

The valet service will operatefrom7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m Monday to Thursday, and7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m Friday.

It will also operate from10a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.