While The Anchor was told last year it’d be happening—hopefully sooner rather than later—it looks like city staff are putting the wheels in motion on a plan to bring an e-bike sharing program to New West.

The update was shared over the Be Heard New West feedback tool, which is asking residents to take part in a survey. The basics of the approach to implementing an e-bike program comes from the eMobility Strategy, the Master Transportation Plan, and the All Ages and Abilities plan.

“[The survey is] intended to help inform the business model and financial assessment, as well as the implementation plan for a New West-based e-bike share program.”

Part of the work being done by staff on this file includes what they call a technical feasible assessment. Staff says this technical component resulted in a number of opportunity-related findings: there are potential partners in the region, any shared micromobility program must have equitable access, and e-scooters could be part of a future share program with the e-bikes.

Staff want to finalize an implementation plan in the fall, and will then bring that plan to council to see if it’ll get approved.

Director of engineering Lisa Leblanc told us last August that it was also important for staff to think about accessibility for as many people as possible. Staff, added Leblanc, also needed to look at the best places to set up bike sharing stops.

“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,” Leblanc told The Anchor at the time.

The current expectation is the e-bike sharing program would only operate in New West, with the potential for bikes to be taken to Burnaby or Surrey. However, the per-minute usage charge would keep going until the user completes their trip.

The city says for now, it would only launch an e-bike share, and not pedal bikes or e-scooters. Based on the information in its study, New West’s hilly situation makes e-bikes a better choice. But what about the e-scooters?

“E-scooters are not currently permitted in New Westminster as per the Motor Vehicle Act, and therefore are not recommended at this time,” says the city on the Be Heard page.

While it’s becoming more common to see e-scooters while you’re out and about, they’re actually not allowed to be on a road or a highway in any community that isn’t part of the province’s electric kick scooter pilot project, or in a city that hasn’t enacted bylaws for the provincial pilot project. New West isn’t part of the pilot.

As for which company would run the e-bike share, staff say they’re leaning towards third party operation—but our city would develop the rules and regulations for the bike share, while also overseeing the program.

“New Westminster can look to the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver, the City of Richmond, and the City of Vernon for documents and policy examples of this model.”

New Westminster would also be open to a regional program with other municipalities.

Where would deploying racks go?

While nothing has been confirmed, there appear to be some clues in the draft forms of the Retail Strategy, which has not yet been finalized.

At least two neighbourhoods have been mentioned as spaces of interest: Downtown and 12th Street.

If you’d like to take the survey, you can do so until Monday July 10.