(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

Cycling advocates are bringing back a bike valet service to Kamloops this year in an effort to entice more commuters to local events.

This year, it starts at the launch of the Kamloops Farmers' Market, where volunteers will help with secure bike storage at the former Stuart Wood School on St. Paul Street on April 22.

Deb Alore of the Kamloops Cycling Coalition said there will be room for one or two dozen bikes at the downtown farmer's market, with the goal of repeating the valet service at least six more times this year.

It's the first of more valet services planned for Kamloops cyclists this year, as the cycling advocacy group works with the City of Kamloops to host secure storage at other local events, according to its newsletter.

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The cycling coalition spearheaded the valet service at other events last year, too, like RibFest, BrewLoops and Canada Day celebrations at Riverside Park.

For bike commuters, it offers peace of mind at the end of their journey beyond a simple lock. Volunteers will watch over the parked bikes and ensure no one other than a bike's owner will tamper with those locks.

It's not original to Kamloops, however.

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In Penticton, cyclists have had four years of secure bike parking at the local farmers' market thanks to the Penticton and Area Cycling Association.

"We've never had a bike stolen," one of the program founders Matt Hopkins told iNFOnews.ca last fall. "We’ve always been able to return everyone’s bike to them. That’s a key thing for us. We do really want to encourage people to use a bike but, obviously, theft is an issue and it prevents people from even doing it in the first place.”

They started in 2018 and ran it for four seasons with a hiatus due to COVID-19. They've secured more than 3,500 bikes in that time, only using an area the size of three vehicle parking spaces.

The Kamloops Cycling Coalition plans to expand its bike valet service to more events this year. They haven't finalized a list, but they're seeking volunteers to staff the events for the upcoming summer.

Farmers' market visitors are encouraged to bring their own locks if they plan to park their bikes with the valets.

Those that are interested can contact the group at kamloopscyclingcoalition@gmail.com for more information.

— This story was corrected at 10:35 a.m. Thursday, April 13, 2023, to say the bike storage will be on St. Paul Street not Seymour Street as originally reported.

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