Cycling safely is easier in Sidney with a new bike repair station, tool loan and cycling programs on tap – and free.
The Town of Sidney, in partnership with the Vancouver Island Regional Library, is offering four bike repair kits now available at the Sidney/North Saanich branch for up to a week at a time.
Residents who borrow the kits, which include a range of tools, can work on their bikes at home or use a new bike repair station recently installed outside the library.
“The Town of Sidney is taking a multi-layered approach to helping community members choose active transportation like walking or cycling more often. Not only are we creating a bike boulevard on Bowerbank Road, offering free cycling workshops, participating in Go-By-Bike Weeks, and improving bike parking options downtown, we are also making it easier for residents to keep their bikes in good condition,” Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith said in a news release. “We don’t want the cost of bike tools or repairs to be a barrier for community members.”
Sidney approved its first active transportation plan last July. It includes developing a cycling boulevard along Bowerbank Road to serve as a north-south corridor and painted bike lanes along Ocean Avenue to serve as an east-west corridor.
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The library loaner kit comes at the same time Greater Victoria bike advocacy group Capital Bike is offering free programs for Sidney residents.
Funded through the Town of Sidney, Capital Bike and the BC Alliance for Healthy Living, the free Kids Can Ride courses run Feb. 25 and March 9. There is also an e-bike express course for Sidney residents on March 2.
Visit https://ow.ly/VpuW50QBvuC to register.