Bike valet pilot program launches at Bellingham’s Portal Container Village
Bellingham cyclists now have additional space to securely park their bikes along the waterfront.
The Port of Bellingham is partnering with Bellingham Bike Valet to pilot a free bike valet service over three weekends at the Portal Container Village.
“Skip the parking search … there’s space for your bike waiting for you. This trial period will collect data to inform planning for future bike access and infrastructure at the Downtown Waterfront,” the Port said in a social media post.
The goal is to help ease traffic during the FIFA Men’s World Cup, and encourage alternative transportation to and from the area, according to the post.
The bike valet service will be located along Laurel Avenue, next to the bike path near Portal Putt.
It will be available starting June 19 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It will continue to be available Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The pilot program comes after the Port announced in April it would be adding 109 car parking stalls along Granary Avenue just north of the existing parking lot at the downtown waterfront area. That plan was met with pushback from Walk and Roll Bellingham, an advocacy group that works to support local bikeability and walkability.
In a letter sent to Port staff, the advocacy group called the project “old-school thinking,” and urged the Port to instead invest in multimodal access improvements.
Bellingham Bike Valet launched in 2022 and has partnered with more than 150 community events to bring “accessible, safe, free, and secure bike parking to the Whatcom County community,” according to the organization’s website.
The organization has parked more than 10,000 bikes since 2022. Cyclists may have seen the bike valet service at events including Downtown Sounds, Seafeast and Ski to Sea, among others. “As a cyclist, using the Bike Valet is easy. Simply ride up, give us your phone number, and you’ll get a text with all the details you need to know. We’ll remind you what time the Bike Valet closes, so you can enjoy the event while we keep a watchful eye on your ride,” the website states.
