Camosun College will soon be replacing some of the campus’ free covered bike parking with a paid bike lockup system. They will be adding more free bike parking elsewhere on campus at a later date, but it won’t be covered.
The new storage spaces, which will house approximately 19 bikes and cost users $5.50 per month, will replace 1/6 of the area that is currently free covered bike rack space outside the Ewing building.
The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) feel they should have been consulted before this decision was made.
“It speaks to the broader deficit within campus planning that exists on this campus,” says CCSS clubs and events coordinator Edward Pullman. “There was no discussion had with students regarding this, no discussion with the student society or the students on the needs of on-campus cycling facilities.”
Camosun director of ancillary service Kathryn Le Gros, who says that it will take over 10 years to recoup the costs of the racks, says this is not a commercial venture, rather, they are simply giving Camosun cyclists what they want. “We have been in regular communication with the cycling community at Camosun,” she says.
Upon discovering that the paid lockup station was being put in, CCSS reps met with Le Gros. Le Gros drafted a letter of agreement stating both parties will agree on all future changes to covered bike racks or the numbers of free bike racks on campus.
The college’s decision to install the paid bike spots is part of a larger project laid out in their transportation and parking management plan. The college says they are providing this service for the benefit of Lansdowne students and staff, similar to the bike lockup currently at Interurban, which costs users the same rate per month.
“We’re responding to the cycling community’s desire and request to have a lockup facility where they can put their bikes and feel that it is secure,” says Le Gros. “Our objective to whatever we do relating to bikes, or cars, or buses is to make it better.”
Pullman says that if the paid lockup is a service students want, that’s great; the problem lies in ensuring that the covered racks get replaced with other covered areas.
“The loss of space, we need to look at how we’re going to replace that,” he says. “At the end of the day, sheltered bike parking is a huge incentive for students to cycle to campus, and any loss should be made up elsewhere.”
Le Gros says that the college will be adding in more free bike parking in Lansdowne’s high traffic areas to replace the racks they are taking away, so the total number of bike racks will not be diminished. These new racks, however, will not be covered.
“There are areas that are already at capacity and need more bike racks,” says Le Gros. “That’s where we’ll be replacing them.”
The college is looking into the possibility of building more free covered racks next fiscal year. But, in a rainy city like Victoria, some students are concerned about losing the free covered space, even temporarily.
“The only place I ever lock up is underneath this enclosure,” says geography student Lliam Hildebrand. “They should provide an alternative space, not take over space that’s already being utilized.”
Environmental technology student Amanda Kletchao says the current system is good enough.
“I don’t have a problem with what it’s like now,” says Kletchao. “I feel that my things are secure.”
The bike lockup and a bike repair station are two parts of a plan that will be announced in a few weeks.
“There will be a lot more to announce around this project about how students have been involved in designing this bike lockup facility,” says Le Gros. “There is some really exciting news around it. It’s actually going to be kind of neat.”