2. What is a Bike Valet?
Bike valet is like a coat check for bikes, and other mobility devices such as scooters and skateboards.
Patrons check in their ride (along with their personal effects), and valet staff organize, park, and keep it safe until the patron’s return. The main benefits of a bike valet service are security and efficiency!
Bike valets:
Are fast and easy to use - obviating the search for secure bike racks at a destination and for patrons to carry their own locks to use them
Eliminate concern about bike theft, a big deterrent when people are considering a bike trip
Raise the profile of active transportation in a community,providing a visible demonstration of the demand for secure active transportation facilities!
There are two main types of bike valet service: event valet and fixed location valet.
Event valets are short-term or periodic bicycle parking for an event such as a farmers' market or music festival. It might be set up for as long as a week or for just a few hours.
Fixed-location valets serve an area over many weeks, months, years, or permanently.
These different services meet unique needs and provide benefits suited to each situation. Both types are highly effective at preventing bike theft, incenting active travel, and reducing car traffic congestion.
Bike valets help families who often carry many items, as well as people combining a market stop with other errands in a downtown location. Families, older riders, e-bike, and e-scooter riders benefit from having a safe place to store their devices that aren’t standard bike racks, which are often insufficient for the need, or have limited capacity.
Bike valet pairs well with anti-theft bike registries such as Project 529 to improve the overall cycling security of an area.
Finally, bike valet services are a community hub for socialization among active travelers – a place where families of cyclists and working people on bikes to sport cyclists can meet and mingle.
