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Saanich opens ‘bike kitchen’ on Lochside trail

Fix-it station allows cyclists to make minor repairs to their bikes

Cyclists who have a flat tire or whose bicycles are in need of a quick tune-up now have access to everything they may need to make repairs, as Saanich recently opened its first Bike Kitchen along the Lochside Regional Trail.

Located behind municipal hall, the Bike Kitchen provides cyclists with free access to a variety of tools, from a bike pump and tire levers to hex keys and wrenches.

The idea stemmed from inside municipal hall, as Saanich was looking to provide a repair station for staff members who ride to and from work. That quickly turned into making it a public asset that’s available to all cyclists.

“It’s been great so far. Lots of people are using it,” said Mark Boysen, Saanich’s sustainability co-ordinator. “We will be looking at other opportunities on our trail systems and the (Capital Regional District, which owns the Lochside and Galloping Goose trails) has said the same. We’ll keep an eye on how this does and what the uptake is like.”

The set-up on the trail also includes QR codes that send smartphone users to a page with more detailed instructions on how to fix a bike.

Coun. Vic Derman, chair of Saanich’s bicycle and pedestrian mobility advisory committee, called the installation “a small but important step” towards improving cycling infrastructure in the municipality.

The Bike Kitchen is located just off the Lochside trail at Darwin Avenue. While other high-traffic cycling destinations already have fix-it stations – like Camosun College’s two campuses in Saanich, and at the University of Victoria – this is the first to be located directly on the regional trail system.

The Bike Kitchen cost $1,200 to purchase and install.

editor@saanichnews.com