Launching the VGH Cycling Centre
We are pleased to announce that the VGH Cycling Centre will open in February at 902 West 10th Ave, in the old Laundry Building, right on the 10th Ave bikeway between Willow St. and Laurel St!
The VGH Cycle Centre is designed to support cycle commuting, provide a social hub for VGH cyclists, encourage active and healthy lifestyle choices, reduce congestion, and strengthen VCH’s commitment to human and environmental sustainability.
Facilities for cyclists
The VGH Cycling Centre will provide access to a state-of-the-art end-of-trip facility, with more than 170 indoor bicycle parking spots, including 12 electric bicycle spots, lockers, showers, towel service, a lounge and a bike repair room for maintenance and tune-ups.
The centre is available to all staff working at the VGH campus as well as volunteers, though membership will be limited to ensure adequate access. There will be a small membership fee for these enhanced facilities, however existing cycling facilities and bike cages across VCH will remain in place and will remain free of charge.
A facility to serve you better
Over the past year, cycle commuters have been engaged through a number of surveys, an open house, and an advisory committee to offer input on bike racks, bike repair room, and storage lockers. The VGH cycling centre is managed by an advisory group made up of staff cyclists and the membership fees will cover the day to day operating costs. All those involved look forward to welcoming staff to the new facility.
Membership
Cyclists will have different membership options depending on whether you are a frequent bicycle commuter or occasional commuter. For more information on memberships, please see our membership application form.
Fees may change and are designed to be as low as possible and only to cover operating expenses so the facility is 100% self-sustaining.
More information
To find out more, or visit the new VGH Cycling Centre, please contact: Arthur Orsini at VGHCyclingCentre@vch.ca or drop by the Commuter Centre, located behind the Information desk in the Jim Pattison Pavilion, VGH.
Arthur Orsini
Hi Hayley
I’m sorry to hear that your friends had their bikes stolen – those stories always make me worry that others will give up cycling. (ugh!!!)
So in that same vein, the Cycling Centre will offer bicycling commuters a great deal more security for their bikes. The facility will have swipe-card access for members only and there will be CCTV so that the footage can be reviewed any time a theft is reported. Security will include the Cycling Centre on their regular rounds.
In determining the need for the site and designing it, surveys were taken of cyclists at VGH and the #1 concern was security, #2 was showers and lockers.
The bike lockers that you mention offer an added level of security. Although there are only be 8 bike lockers, there are 174 individual bike racks.
In addition, having a single VGH Cycling Centre on-site (as opposed to multiple bike cages around campus) we hope that cyclists will begin to recognize one another during their daily commutes or at one of the seasonal workshops or events we plan to host. We hope that this will deter members from “holding the door” for others (potential thieves) whose intention is to gain access to the bikes.
If you wish to view the facility, please send an email to VGHCyclingCentre@vch.ca and we will let you know when we have our first Open House.
thanks
Arthur Orsini, Active Transportation Facilitator
VGH Cycling Centre
VGHCyclingCentre@vch.ca
Hayley Morgan
Hi there,
I was just curious as to what the security of the indoor bike lockers will be like. I commute to work every day by bike and I have a couple of nursing friends that have had their bikes stolen from the bike cages at VGH recently and so I have taken a break from communting via bike due to the worry of theft.