Corner Brook to introduce e-bike sharing this month
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.
E-bikes make getting up hills no problem at all, and give riders more confidence riding safely on the road. @CBCCrosstalk @RamonaDearing
— WEC Newfoundland (@WECNL) May 4, 2015
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.
I am NOT a cyclist. But i just got from the Mamateek to the top of sunnyslope w/o working up a sweat thanks to this pic.twitter.com/uTirPIyVvo — Glen Keeling (@KeelingGlen) May 2, 2015