Cyclists frown at fees for Yukon College bike lockers
Car drivers get a free ride, critics charge
Last Updated: Thursday, July 3, 2008 | 2:16 PM CT
CBC News
Some Whitehorse residents are giving Yukon College the gears over its new bicycle lockers, for which the college is charging $25 a month.
About a dozen lockers have been installed around the college's Whitehorse campus in an effort to encourage people to switch from cars to bikes.
But e-mails have been flying among cyclists and environmental advocates, who point out the irony of the college charging for bicycle storage while it offers free parking and free electrical plugs for cars in the winter.
"The point is, there's free services for cars and not free services for storing your bike in a shelter," Lewis Rifkind of the Yukon Conservation Society told CBC News on Wednesday.
Yukon College officials would not comment on the issue of free car parking versus charging cyclists. But spokeswoman Tanis Davey said the bicycle lockers are expensive and the college has to cover its costs.
"We're the first institution in the Yukon to provide this option for cyclists," Davey said.
"Yukon College has gone above and beyond for our staff and students, and for a public institution this is a big cost for us."
Davey said the lockers were installed in response to staff requests for a secure alternative to outdoor bicycle racks.
She said they are part of Yukon College's green program, which includes recycling and composting.
Rifkind suggested it would make more sense for the college to charge drivers for parking and car plugs, and use the proceeds to reduce the cost of bike storage.
