New bike corrals in London will assist cyclists in keeping their rides safe.
Monday marked the unveiling of London’s two bicycle corrals, the first the city has seen.
The introduction of the locking system is part of a cooperative initiative between the city and cycling organizations to encourage Londoners to ride bikes more often.
Along with the two corrals, which can hold up to 14 bikes each, three ‘Bike Fix-it Stations’ were also opened unveiled. The corrals are located in front of the Central Library and on Dundas St. just east of Adelaide St., while the fix-it stations are at the Crouch Library, outside Tuckey's Home Hardware in Wortley Village, and at Storybook Gardens.
Henk Ketelaars, a member of London’s Cycling Advisory Committee, says the corrals and fix stations are long awaited.
"A little over a year ago, the city decided to do a new cycling master plan, because the old one was ten years old. The whole idea is the timing of this is really ideal, because we still have a lot of infrastructure,” says Ketelaars.
Ketelaars believes the movement towards a greater cycling presence is important and will definitely appeal to a younger demographic.
"The new generation, the millennium, can't really afford a car, because the insurance is too expensive, the car is too expensive, incomes are harder to find,” Ketelaars says. “So this is a perfect timing to make the adjustment, first of all to go more green, second of all to balance, to put the whole concept of transportation in balance."
While bike corrals are a step in the right direction, Ketelaars thinks that much more still needs to be done.
"The next major step is education. Cyclists are on the sidewalk, cyclists are on the wrong side of the road, cyclists are really needing to learn how to ride bicycles and how to follow the rules,” says Ketelaars.
For any who have reservations about riding a bike, Ketelaars wants to set the record straight.
"There is this myth, and the myth is that it's dangerous. Statistics doesn't follow that,” Ketelaars says. “Statistics say that when we follow the rules, and we obey and we stay visible, it is a very safe mode of travel. And it saves a lot of money and it saves the environment."
Mayor Matt Brown, who was also at the unveiling, sees the cycling movement as far more than a greener and less expensive way to travel.
"We talk an awful lot about the London plan, about growing more inward and upward as a community, about changing the way that we move across the city,” Brown says. “Being more bike friendly, focusing on rapid transit, these are all ways that will get us to achieve that goal."
The Cycling Master Plan, which will include more corrals and other cycling safety measures, will be presented to the Civic Works Committee on June 8.
**this story was written by Samuel Gallant. Samuel is a student in the Fanshawe College broadcast journalism program. He is performing a summer internship with Blackburn News.**