Where’s New West’s bike share program?

Bike sharing is a popular option for getting around in Vancouver: the Mobi by Shaw Go program is ubiquitous, with the blue and grey bikes seen in neighbourhoods like Kitsilano and Mount Pleasant. In the District of West Vancouver, there’s an e-bike pilot project in partnership with Lime that launched last year.

In New Westminster, cycling is at the top of the city’s Master Transportation Plan, along with walking and transit. It’s common to see people on an e-bike, travelling from A to B. Mayor Jonathan Cote and Coun. Patrick Johnstone have also tested some bikes. 

So, why don’t we have a bike or e-bike sharing program?

“At this point, what we’ve been focusing on is really building up the network of greenways and well-designed cycling facilities, so that as we see more people cycling, they’ve got the facilities to do so,” explains Lisa Leblanc, the city’s director of engineering services.

While the city hopes to put together a business plan for potential vendors by the end of 2023, Leblanc admits it’s been challenging, with staffing shortages affecting the timeline.

Leblanc is surprised that New West hasn’t been contacted by companies like Mobi or Lime.

“We’ve not been reached out to by the market. It’s interesting, and I’m curious as to why they haven’t been more aggressive with us. I think we’re a really good candidate. The same reason we’ve got Evo here would be, I’d expect, a reason the vendors would be interested in New West,” she says.

What would it take to get a bike or e-bike sharing program set up in New Westminster? Leblanc says that would include figuring out where the bikes could be docked so they aren’t getting in the way of other road users.

“We’ve seen in other cities—not necessarily in the Lower Mainland—stories about other cities where these programs are not necessarily planned or tightly managed, and you end up with e-scooters or bikes that impede pedestrian access or present barriers for other people,” Leblanc explains.

About a year after launching its e-bike pilot with Lime, the District of West Vancouver created spaces called Lime Groves to serve as designated parking spaces.

Leblanc says the program should not exclude parts of the population, and that they still need to figure out which areas would be the most suitable for a bike/e-bike sharing space.

“Which parts of the city are of particular interest of access by bike, and making sure the program would be structured in a way to provide good, safe, comfortable, and convenient access to the places of highest interest and of highest demand,” says Leblanc.

For now, prioritizing plans like the Agnes Greenway and the multi-jurisdictional Pattullo replacement to ensure biking and e-biking infrastructure is safe is top priority for Leblanc and the team.

“We’re really working hard to improve the network of active transportation options; working hard to get a good solid network of greenways and other cycling routes in place.”