DVBIA wants bigger buffer zone between bike share hubs and rental shops

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The City of Vancouver says there will be a one-third to half-block gap between bike rental shops and the incoming bike share hubs, but not everyone is OK with that distance.

Charles Gauthier with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association is worried about businesses and wants the buffer zone to be bigger.

“We’ll have to have negotiations with the city about them being further away. We want to be involved in where the docking stations are being placed. There are a number of other concerns that we have. We don’t want clutter up the sidewalk.”

Engineering General Manager Jerry Dobrovolny says the city consulted with bike rental shop owners prior to signing a new five-year bike sharing contract.

“We wanted to avoid unnecessary competition so we won’t be looking at installing a bike rental station right in front of a bike rental place. We’ll look at providing some separation.”

Gauthier also wants signs to inform tourists that for all-day rides, bike rentals may be a better deal.

“We understand the concerns and we’ll continue to work with them on a site specific basis,” explains Dobrovolny.

By the end of summer, you’ll have 1,500 bikes at your disposal with 1,000 bicycles available by June.

The NPA is coming out against the plan saying this project is something that TransLink, and not the city, should be managing.

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