In Montreal, a company is testing bicycle lockers

Many citizens will have opted for cycling during the pandemic. Bike-Transit therefore had the idea of ​​making bicycle lockers available to them in the heart of Montreal. However, the Quebec company does not wish to compete with BIXI, she assures Metro.

These bicycle lockers were inaugurated Tuesday in Montreal by Vélo-Transit, the Sustainable Mobility Agency and Jalon. All three want to allow cyclists to safely park their bikes in the city center of the metropolis.

Vélo-Transit installed two modules with six compartments each to protect parked two-wheelers from bad weather. Dozens of Montrealers will be able to store their means of transportation in a secure place.

Revolutionizing urban transport

However, there is no question of competing with BIXI, says the president and shareholder of Vélo-Transit, Jean-Marc Blais. The idea is rather to opt for another positioning, that of revolutionizing urban transport.

“We are a complement to BIXI, tells Metro Mr. Blais. We, our competitor, are cars! ”

It must be said that the fleets of electric bicycles (VAÉ), launched in 2017 by Vélo-Transit, are aimed at employees wishing to travel several kilometers to get to work.

Unlike BIXI, it is not a question of shared bicycles but of a rental for a predefined period of bicycles made available by a company to its employees. They can also keep the bike for the entire defined period. And this, without time limit in the duration of the journey.

“BIXI is more of a short distance solution. As for our parking lots, they are intended for owners of bicycles or electric bicycles. We are not targeting the same market. ” – Jean-Marc Blais

A growing need of the population

Éric Alan Caldwell, responsible for urban planning and mobility within the Montreal executive committee, was delighted with this announcement.

According to him, this is a concrete solution to encourage the use of the bicycle as a daily mode of transport and to contribute to the ecological transition.

According to Laurent Chevrot, Director General of the Sustainable Mobility Agency, it is the need for secure spaces for parking bicycles expressed by Montrealers that is at the origin of the project.

“The objective is to transform cities by initiating a change in urban transport habits and by creating a real active revolution.” -Laurent Chevrot

This project will also provide a better understanding of the issues related to active mobility. But also to study the needs and behavior of users, said Danielle Charest, CEO of the NPO Jalon.

Thus, if this test were successful, a larger deployment could be considered.

Note that the lockers are accessible free of charge to all cyclists at 950 Notre-Dame Street West. You just need to book one free of charge via the Vélo-Transit application. It is this application which also allows to lock and unlock the reserved locker.