The City of Victoria is bringing back its free bicycle valet service starting this month.
The no-cost bike parking will operate seven days a week from March 17 until Dec. 23 at the corner of Pandora Avenue and Broad Street, with expanded hours in the summer months.
The city launched the coatcheck-style drop-off and pickup service as a pilot project in June 2022.
Over its four-month tenure, the service was used more than 11,000 times and more than 800 bikes were registered with 529 Garage, an initiative to locate lost or stolen bikes, according to the city.
"We heard strong support for the bike valet after its successful debut in 2022," Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said in a statement Friday.
"The valet provides a secure and convenient service for residents, visitors and commuters, and encourages more people to visit, shop and dine downtown."
The valet service accommodates not just bicycles, but bike trailers, strollers, e-bikes and push scooters, too.
The city says feedback on the pilot project was overwhelmingly positive, with 77 per cent of survey respondents saying they cycled downtown more often and 82 per cent saying they stayed downtown longer because of the valet.
"You can park for a few minutes or a few hours without having to worry about your panniers, lights, or helmets," Alto added.
"The valet makes it easy to travel to work, attend festivals, go to appointments, or enjoy the diverse restaurants and shops downtown."
The city says it will offer expanded operating hours this summer, including later service on Friday and Saturday nights.
The valet will again be operated by Better Environmentally Sound Transportation and Capital Bike, who operated the service in 2022 and were selected through a competitive procurement process.
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