Passersby on a downtown Windsor street will notice a stunning array of coloured lights and patterns.
The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA) has unveiled a new illuminated bike dock on University Avenue West near Victoria Avenue. The DWBIA organised and paid for the piece, which was designed and built in conjunction with the University of Windsor, as well as St. Clair College and TownePlace Suites by Marriott. The dock is placed on the sidewalk between the hotel and the college's MediaPlex.
Debi Croucher, executive director of the DWBIA, said the bike dock's practical purpose is something the downtown core has been looking for for some time.
"You've got a single bike rack here, and a single bike rack there, but nothing that's a dock, and this is a really neat opportunity," said Croucher. "It's so close to the MediaPlex, where guests may use this, and with the infrastructure that's planned for University Avenue, this makes good sense."
The college and university worked together on the design and building of the bike dock, with U of W graduate student Max Pecoraro taking the lead. The dock features over 10,000 multi-coloured LEDs that show different patterns and wording.
Jason Grossi, a Windsor architect who teaches at the University of Windsor's Visual Art and the Built Environment program (VABE), says the collaborative effort behind the dock provided an ideal opportunity for students.
"We've seen a tremendous amount of cooperation to make this happen," said Grossi. "It's been a tremendous learning opportunity for us at the university, especially to have such an experiential component like this happen for our student."
Lori Newton of Bike Windsor-Essex stopped by the bike dock to try it out. She said she hopes this is the first of many such docks in the downtown core, and its unveiling is a great way to kick off Bike Month in the region.
"People who ride bikes are the same as people who drive cars," said Newton. "They think about their destination, and they have to think about where they're going to park when they get there."
The bike dock, which the DWBIA said cost about $10,000, will be lit up 24 hours a day.
---Video from the University of Windsor VABE program, provided by the DWBIA
https://vimeo.com/338313196