The City of London today unveiled enclosed bike lockers at three locations downtown to help provide cyclists a new secure space to park their bike. These bike lockers are located at the corner of Dundas and Wellington Street, the north end of Clarence Street (between Victoria Park and the former Williams Café), and in the underground parking garage at the Covent Garden Market.
“We strengthen our community and local businesses when we provide cyclists with convenient and nearby parking,” says Mayor Ed Holder. “Adding more features like secure bike lockers to our growing cycling network helps support healthy and active lifestyles, and increases public access to transportation options.”
The lockers are made of a fibreglass shell and feature six secure, weather-protected lockers large enough to hold one standard adult-sized, two-wheel bike. Lockers are not large enough for a trike, cargo bike or long-tail bike.
“It’s the perfect solution for where to park your bike when you are downtown and want to know it will be safe,” says Bob Usher, CEO and General Manager of Covent Garden Market.
At each bank of lockers, cyclists will be able to rent four of the six parking spaces on a short-term (hourly) basis using cell-phone software created by Movatic. After downloading the Movatic app, cyclists will input their payment information, find a locker to rent, and use their phone to unlock the locker door and begin their short-term rental. Upon returning to the locker, the cyclist will use the app to end the locker rental, retrieve their bike, and have the rental automatically billed to their chosen payment method. The first two hours are free, then the cost is $0.50 per hour after that to a maximum of 24 hours.
“Bike lockers with electronic access is an exciting innovation in the active transportation industry,” says Jay Stanford, Director of Climate Change, Environment & Waste Management. “These lockers are highly secure, and the Bluetooth access powered by Movatic provides the most advanced system for electronic access to a bike locker available today.”
Two of the six parking spaces at each locker will also be made available for monthly long-term rentals. Applications for long-term, monthly rentals will be available at City Hall. Cyclists must complete a rental agreement and pay $20+HST plus a $100 deposit through the Clerks Office.
This is a pilot project to provide secure bike parking for residents and workers downtown. The City of London is testing the lockers, the Movatic App, demand, and how they will be used. For the pilot, a smart phone is required to book a locker, with the exception of the long-term, monthly rentals. Residents can provide feedback by e-mailing cycling@london.ca before the pilot period ends on July 31, 2022.