Bike Winnipeg, West End BIZ introduce neighbourhood bike valet program
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/07/2023 (825 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A new partnership between Bike Winnipeg and the West End BIZ wants to get more people to frequent the neighbourhood on two wheels.
Every Saturday until Sept. 3, Sargent Avenue will transform into a cultural hub of live music, mural painting and more through the West End BIZ Saturdays on Sargent program.
In hopes of drawing more visitors to the area, Joe Kornelsen, the executive director of the West End BIZ, reached out to Bike Winnipeg about setting up their popular Bicycle Valet program on-site.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Steve West of Bicycle Valet Winnipeg secures a bike Saturday while its owner explores the businesses along Sargent Avenue.
“We wanted to find a way to really make the West End a more fun place to visit,” Kornelsen said.
On Saturday afternoon, a team of volunteers helped visitors secure their bikes for the day. Down the street, a small crowd gathered to listen to a musical performance put on by Curbside Concerts.
Kornelsen believes Sargent Avenue is one of Winnipeg’s hidden gems. Peppered with coffee shops, barbers and food joints with an international flare, he said the West End strip has it all.
“When you stroll down Sargent, one of the best things about it is just that diversity of businesses,” Kornelsen said.
Ahead of the first Saturday on Sargent, business owners on the strip expressed their appreciation for the initiative.
“Sargent is the kind of place that’s fun to explore. But when you’re driving you tend to miss all the little shops, restaurants, and eateries that truly make the West End’s dynamic business scene,” said Harry Mogatas, owner of Rice Bowl Restaurant, a local Filipino restaurant on Sargent in a press release.
Mark Cohoe, the executive director of Bike Winnipeg, was on-site leading the team of valet volunteers. While the Bicycle Valet is generally stationed at events around the city, offering their services for a neighbourhood is a first.
“It just makes it a little easier to come to explore by bike,” Cohoe said. “Both (Sargent) and Ellice are really underexplored areas of the city. There are so many hidden gems.”
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, tends to the bike valet. “It just makes it a little easier to come to explore by bike,” Cohoe said. “Both (Sargent) and Ellice are really underexplored areas of the city. There are so many hidden gems.”
Recent investments in bike infrastructure, like the protected lanes on Maryland and Sherbrook St., have paved the way for more active transportation traffic in the West End.
By giving Winnipeggers a safe and secure way to store their bikes, Kornelsen believes it could draw in visitors who live outside the area.
“You’ve got everything on this stretch that I think makes for a really fun visitor experience and a really fun community experience,” Kornelsen said. “You can really feel that Sargent Avenue is that neighbourhood, business community that I think a lot of people would love to see more of.”
cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca