Regent Park took another step forward on Saturday at the grand opening of the two new
Bixi bike stations, the first two outside the downtown core.
Sponsored by
Daniels Corporation, the private-sector development partner for the new
Regent Park, the two stations are at Dundas and Parliament, and Parliament and Gerard, with 11 and 27 bikes respectively. The cost, which Daniels covered, was about $10,000, according to Martin Blake.
"We saw Bixi coming around, and thought to ourselves, 'What a wonderful benefit to bring to the neighbourhood,'" says Blake, who's vice president at Daniels, as well as vice chair of
Habitat for Humanity Canada, an organization he's been working with since 1996.
The bikes, in addition to the
Autoshare and
Zipcar spots already there, will serve the residents of the two existing buildings, One Cole, with its 292 units, and One Park West's tower and townhouses, which comprise 227 units.
The bikes were first installed about three weeks ago, and ever since, Blake says he's been using a Bixi app, available for
Blackberry,
iPhone and
Android to monitor their use, which he says is prodigious.
"I sit in meetings and keep track of how many bikes are out right now," he says. "It's kind of addictive."
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Martin Blake
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