Vancouver backs off Mobi bike station after complaints from West End residents

The City of Vancouver has temporarily put the brakes on the installationofone of its bike share stations after residents in aWest End buildingcomplained it would eliminatebadlyneeded parking spots.

The residents ofa co-op building on CarderoStreet said they were told last Thursday afternoon two days before a long weekendthat construction of a bike share station for 25 Mobi rentals was to begin Tuesdayoutside their building.

Thatstationwould eliminate several two-hour, free parking spaces in front of the co-op.

The move upsetresidents because manyare elderly. Someuse walkers and canes, as do their visitors, and they say they rely on the parking spots located close by.

• Vancouver's long-awaited bike share service launching today

Following Thursday's surprise visit from the Mobi representative, residents sent a flurry of emails to the city and the bike share program complaining they weren't adequately consulted about the new station and loss of parking.

On Tuesday,the city said it would hold off on the installation.

"In this case, we've been informed that there has been a miscommunication," said JerryDobrovolny, the city's general manager ofengineering services.

Last month, the city unveiled its long-awaited bike share program, Mobi,launching 23 stations across the city.

In time, the rental network will include up to 1,500 bikes at 150 city-wide stations.

Dobrovolny, who noted that competition for parking spotsis tight in Vancouver, said the city is makinga point ofcontacting residents and building owners affected by the new planned bike rental stations.

But residents of the Cardero Street co-opsaid they heardnothing of the station installation until last Thursdaywhen a representative from Mobiappeared at the co-op with a notice saying the installation would begin Tuesday, Aug. 2.

The notice was handed to the co-op's board president, Mark Galsworthy, who was surprised.

"We weren't consulted," Galsworthy said. "To turn up a day before a long weekend is not fair.

"We're being walked over."

In an interview,Dobrovolnyinsisted that Mobi had previously contacted the building's property management firmto warn about the bike station installation,but residents say this explanation doesn't fly.

They say the building is aself-run co-op. Ithires an outside firm, FirstServiceResidential, to help with finances and its annual general meeting.

An employee of thatcompany told the residents hehadn't heard from Mobi or the city about the bike rental station, residents say.

Dobrovolnysaid the city decided Tuesday to put the Cardero Street bike rental installation on hold "as soon as we were made aware there were concerns."

Mobior city staff are to meet with residents this week, Dobrovolnysaid, and perhaps reset outreach efforts.

"We're fine to step back for a moment and go meet with the residents and have that dialogue."

With files by Tina Lovgreen