Organizers of the Hope Brigade Days are introducing a bicycle valet service this Sept. 8-10.
A cyclist can ride his or her bicycle to Gate #1 or #2 and the valets will tag the bike and provide the cyclist with a claim stub. Spokesperson Mark Petryk, who pitched the idea to the organizing committee, said that the service will be secure, free, convenient and friendly.
“Every year we have been exponentially growing the event and parking space is becoming a problem,” said Petryk. “I pitched the idea to the group … and, well, they loved it and there we developed the Briggie bicycle valet!”
Bicycles as well as other “self-propelled vehicles” will have their equipment parked in a fenced area with security guards at no cost. They will also be able to bike right to the gate and “save the headache of finding a parking spot.” Users can also leave their helmets and panniers on their bicycles as long as they are securely attached.
The idea came to Petryk when he was biking the Seawall in Vancouver.
“During my day trip, I stopped at Granville Island for lunch and parked my bike at the bicycle valet for the very first time,” said Petryk. “At first I was skeptical about the service but then the volunteers assured me my bike would be safe. They have parked close to 200,000 bikes since 2006 and haven’t lost one. They handed me a ticket and I was on my way.”
Petryk said he finished lunch and returned to collect his bike. He handed in his ticket and wheeled out his bike.
“I rode my bicycle around the Seawall to Stanley Park and looped back to English Bay, coming upon a food truck festival, outdoor market and a beer garden! To my surprise, there was another bicycle valet!” said Petryk. “Needless to say, I took advantage of this service once again and had a fabulous day.”
At the end of the day trip, Petryk thought of using this idea at Brigade Days.