Stress-free and secure: Bike valet service to launch in downtown Calgary

The Calgary Downtown Association is planning to launch a bike valet pilot program at the end of July that will potentially run until October.

The goal is to assist those who want to use bikes to get to events in downtown Calgary, says Mark Garner, executive director of the association.

"It's like a coat check," said Garner in an interview on the Calgary Eyeopener. 

"When you go to an event, you basically check your coat, you get a ticket. And then when you finish the event, you come back, you hand your ticket, you get your coat back. It's no different than that." 

Garner and his team hope to launch in time for upcoming events like the Calgary Folk Music Festival and Taste of Calgary.

So, how does the valet service work? You head off to the designated drop-off location (218 Eighth Avenue S.W.) and hand over your bike to an official attendant, who will park it and make sure it stays safe until you return. 

The team is equipped to handle 200 bikes at a time and won't charge Calgarians for the service, which will be available Thursday to Sunday between 3:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

What inspired Garner and his team to start the pilot program?

Garner said he was motivated to launch the program in Calgary after he came across a successful bike valet service in Victoria's downtown area.

"I think there is a need [for the service]," he said. "I think there will be more need based on this pilot … [and] additional conversations that we're having with our employment clusters."

Secure parking is valuable

Garner believes that more people will be encouraged to bike downtown and attend popular events thanks to the valet service. 

His long-term goal is to expand the project to other areas in the downtown and partner with other organizations.

The association is funding the pilot program and hopes to keep the service free for the foreseeable future.

"I think if we keep it free, [it] will be the best for the community and the cycling community at large," Garner said.

LISTEN | Mark Garner talks about the bike valet pilot program:

The pilot program is an exciting venture, according to Molli Bennett, who is the president of Bike Calgary, a non-profit that focuses on making cycling accessible to riders across the city.

"It's a pilot program, but we think it's exciting because it allows people to not have to worry about their bike where they … enjoy the things going on [in] downtown," she said.

"That ability to have secure parking is a valuable way to encourage people to use active modes to get into our downtown."

Room for expansion

Bennett thinks a service like this can help "eliminate the risk" of bike theft and give cyclers a chance to enjoy activities without stress.

She hopes the service will eventually be offered in other parts of the city on a larger scale so that it can accommodate major events like the Stampede.

"Calgary would like to see that pilot expanded," she said. "We think the larger the hours available, the more you use a service like this."