For the 500 staff and student cyclists coming to Vanier College, a new bike shelter will offer a dry secure location to park their bikes. Vanier employees, the Mayor of St Laurent, Alan DeSousa, city councilors and other special guests all attended a brief ceremony and ribbon cutting held on May 5th. Erected in front of the main Vanier buildings, the new locked structure made of metal and glass with air slits for ventilation, can accommodate 20 bikes on racks that are stacked with two tiers on either side of the shelter and are assistance-aided for easy glide and lift.
"The shelter was just an idea for quite a while, but it has been made possible thanks to developments and activities at Vanier that have taken place over the past few years and thanks to contributions from many people at the college," said Benoit Morin, Vanier College Director General.
The cycling community at Vanier has grown over the years thanks to campus initiatives and the passion of dedicated bike enthusiastic teachers, staff and students. What was initially only a hope, finally matured into an embedded organizational infrastructure led by VCACE (Vanier College Advisory Committee on the Environment) and its working groups, as well as a dedicated Sustainability team, and the support of the Facilities department.
The installation of the bike shelter is directly related to Vanier's 2021-2026 Strategic Plan and the College's commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030 or 2050 at the latest. To achieve this very important goal of carbon neutrality, Vanier needed first to understand its carbon footprint. As a result, Vanier hired MOBA, (Mobilité alternative) to conduct its first transportation survey in 2023. The survey found that 65% of students and 74% of staff who cycle to and from campus wanted protective measures against inclement weather and bike vandalism.
Other analysis showed that commuting to Vanier by car was the highest source of greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the College worked with several consultants and data analytics to find ways of reducing these emissions by promoting and encouraging alternative, sustainable transportation solutions, and creating an infrastructure to support the biking community. In particular, the installation of a bike shelter.
The bike shelter is the latest incentive to use a bike, but the College has also organized other initiatives to encourage more cycling, such as the bi-annual Bike Day event, a CiCan bike riding clinic, partnerships with BIXI, increased bike racks on campus, and finally the opening of the first bike shelter.
"At MOBA, we are pleased to see the projects we support result in the implementation of new cycling infrastructure. These improvements are essential for creating an environment that encourages active transportation that motivates people to choose cycling instead of their cars. The installation of this new bike shelter is the outcome of an initiative led by Vanier College that demonstrates a clear and genuine commitment to advancing sustainable mobility. MOBA proudly applauds this inspiring initiative,'' said Elisabeth Tremblay, Director, MOBA.
The shelter was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Quebec government through its Programme d'aide aux nouvelles mobilités and the environmental fee collected from annual Vanier parking passes, all of which means that there was little impact on the College's budget. The bike shelter was sourced and procured from Sheltec, a Quebec company specialized in developing bus, bike and other city shelters.
Vanier thanks the Quebec government, MOBA, Vanier management (MEC), Board members, VCACE members, the Vanier Facilities Director, the Sustainability team, and non-teaching personnel, teachers and students who support biking and sustainable transportation.
