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Corner Brook to introduce e-bike sharing this month

Nine of these pedal-assisted beauties will be available for rent in Corner Brook this month
Nine of these pedal-assisted beauties will be available for rent in Corner Brook this month
Nine of these pedal-assisted beauties will be available for rent in Corner Brook this month (Image: Western Environment Centre)

Like other towns in Newfoundland, Corner Brook is stunning, historic, picturesque, and really, really hilly. Crow Hill is smack in the middle of the area, creating a steep grade on many streets that, if nothing else, present all kinds of fun challenges on a bike. Newfoundland’s topography—particularly when you factor in its stiff Atlantic headwinds—can very definitely not be friendly to non-climbers.

So that makes it a pretty great place to introduce an e-bike sharing program.

Boosted by a bit of federal funding, the Western Environment Centre in Corner Brook announced that it purchased nine battery-powered rides, each with a pedal-assist function to help scale those East Coast climbs. With just those nine bikes in the fleet, it’s a pilot project in its very early, preliminary stages, but the program’s advocates hope that enough widespread use of the service will help it take off—something that’s helped other bike sharing programs in Toronto and Montreal. “Our project will contribute to a culture of commuting by bicycle by providing a new, more convenient an affordable form of transportation to residents,” reads the Western Environment Centre’s website, “and by running a campaign that encourages and celebrates active transportation.” The organization says that the bikes should be available for rent later this month, and will cost prospective hill-conquerors $10 a day, or $40 a week.