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Vancouver is looking at getting a bike share system—and UBC may play a big part in it.

The city is hoping to be the fourth city in Canada to implement a bike share program, following Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. The programs in place are provided by BIXI, a Montreal-based bike share company.

Carole Jolly, UBC’s director of Transportation Planning, said that more bikes at UBC are a good fit. “TransLink conducted a cycling suitability analysis and the conclusion of that study was that UBC has the highest cycling potential than any other area within the region,” she said.

“We have lots of public realm in cycling infrastructures that have made the campus very safe and accessible for cycling,” she added.

Last April, the City of Vancouver issued a request for expression of interest in its attempt to begin formulating a bike sharing system for the city. Given its relatively flat topography, high potential and distinct cycling culture, UBC is seen as a vital component.

Jolly said that an early analysis has been done on what the system would look like at UBC.

“Our early analysis indicates that the trial campus program would include 200 bicycles situated in about 20 different docking stations around campus, with the docking stations being at least 300 to 500 metres apart.”

UBC will be involved at Vancouver city council meeting negotiations later this month, alongside the University Neighbourhoods Association and the AMS.

Nancy Lee, a UBC student, welcomes the idea.

“To be frank, I would kill for a bicycle right now,” Lee said before making a hike from the anthropology and sociology building up to the Macmillan building in a matter of ten minutes.

“I always end up being late for that class but there is nothing I can do about it.”

At the Board of Governors meeting, Jolly said the earliest implementation would be spring 2012.

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