Canada’s London, Ontario, boasts 350 km (220 miles) of pathways, bike lanes, and cycle tracks. The city invests in improved cycling infrastructure as part of its commitment to providing quality of life for residents and visitors, and to encourage people to travel by bicycle for enjoyment, cost savings, and health of the community.
Recently, the city installed bluetooth cellular access bike lockers to provide secure bicycle parking options for cyclists.
“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 city installed a bank of lockers in each of three locations as part of its pilot program. Every bank features six secure, enclosed parking spaces that each fit one standard, adult-size bike. Four spaces in each bank are available to rent by the hour while two spaces are reserved for monthly rentals. The lockers are designed and manufactured by CycleSafe and keep bicycles safe from damage, theft, and weather, thereby removing common barriers to traveling into any urban area by bike.
The locker program uses an innovative app created by Movatic and compatible with CycleSafe’s locking mechanism. After downloading the app, cyclists input their payment information, find and reserve a locker to rent, and use their phone to unlock the locker door. When retrieving their bike, the cyclist uses the app to again unlock the locker, and the rental fee is automatically billed to their in-app payment method. Bike parking is very affordable, with the first two hours free of charge and each additional hour costing only $0.50 per hour to a maximum of 24 hours.
“Bike lockers with electronic access are an exciting innovation in the active transportation industry,” says Jay Stanford, the city’s 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.”
Electronic access makes management of a bike locker system easy for administrators since it includes built-in payment, user list and access control, and real-time reporting all in one app. The access control feature allows administrators to know who is using the system, when they’re using it, and for how long they’re renting, and to grant and restrict usage, if necessary. Just as importantly, electronic access makes bike lockers more accessible to constituents and encourages more use.
CycleSafe helps municipalities, transit authorities, businesses, healthcare providers, and military bases across North America encourage healthy, sustainable communities and increase employee productivity and retention. Get the most out of your bike parking investment while providing your constituents with the latest in technology and biking convenience. Contact CycleSafe for more information.
