Details are out about the cycling amenities planned for the Evergreen Line and a Tri-City bike advocacy group says cyclists will be under-served when the transit line opens.
Jack Trumley, spokesperson for the Tri-Cities branch of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC), said the 10 bike lockers and 10 bike rack slots at each of the five Evergreen stations will reach their useful capacity immediately, leaving cyclists little recourse but to either leave their bikes at home or avoid the train.
"The biggest issue is around storage," Trumley said. "It's not enough, especially around the Douglas College stop, where they haven't anticipated the kind of popularity they're going to have there."
Trumley said the other problem VACC has with the line is the two-bikes-per-car maximum allowance and the restriction of bikes from trains during the peak hours of the morning and evening commutes.
"It's going to reach that capacity immediately, just like the Canada Line," he said. "They just haven't anticipated the popularity of the Evergreen Line."
Still, Trumley stressed the Tri-City VACC group fully supports the arrival of the Evergreen Line and all of the potential problems the group foresees with the train will result from the train's popularity among cyclists.
Trumley said he doesn't anticipate station access being a problem with Evergreen, even though there isn't a dedicated bike route planned along the line similar to the Central Valley Greenway, which follows SkyTrain between New Westminster and Vancouver.
B.C. public affairs officer Kate Trotter told The Tri-City News there would be room built into the system to expand Evergreen's bike facilities should it prove necessary but Trumley is skeptical.
"I'm not confident in that at all," he said. "I really think the popularity will exceed their expectations and they'll be left scrambling to see what else they can put in here."
Lougheed SkyTrain station, where the Evergreen Line will start, already has 24 bike lockers and 18 rack stalls.
tcoyne@tricitynews.com
