Victoria is bringing back free downtown bike valet

The City of Victoria is bringing back its popular and very cool free bike valet program for 2023. The bike valet offers secure storage for bikes and other active transportation devices like trailers, jogging strollers and cargo bikes. The city says 11,000 bikes were parked over the initial run.

After a successful pilot project in 2022, the revived program will have an extended go in 2023. Last year, the program ran from June to November as part of the city’s strategy to create safe bike parking in the downtown area. The pilot project found that having guaranteed safe storage had a significant effect on people’s riding habits. The city said feedback from users of the pilot project showed 77 per cent of surveyed users said they cycled more often while 82 per cent stayed downtown longer.

In 2023, Victoria’s free bike valet will be open from March 17 through until Dec. 23, seven days a week. There will be extended hours during the summer months, including on weekends. Full seasonal hours and operating schedule are updated on the City of Victoria’s bike valet page.

The bike valet returns to its central downtown location at Pandora Avenue and Broad Street. This location is directly beside one of Victoria’s newer two-way separated bike lanes.

We love to see projects like this that find simple ways to make riding your bike easier and less stressful.