Valet bike parking at Riverside Park in Kamloops. (Photo via Kamloops Cycling Coalition)

A grassroots group of Kamloops cyclists are in the process of surveying local businesses about the challenges and benefits of providing bike parking to customers and employees.

Project Organizer Kristin Webb tells Radio NL the goal is to try and make Kamloops a more bike-friendly city.

“If a business provides employee parking it can really lead to retention of the employees, health of the employee, more job satisfaction,” Webb said.

“And with clients, they’ve got an opportunity to harvest a whole new client base.”

Webb says the hope is to use the findings of the survey – which is sponsored by Transition Kamloops and the Kamloops Cycling Coalition – to update of the City’s Active Transportation Plan, which is set to be reviewed this fall.

“The idea is to sit in with the city’s Active Transportation Plan and to eventually lessen our dependence on cars and on greenhouse gas emissions, and just get people cycling, not only for that but also for your own health,” Webb said.

“A shopping mall could have a really dedicated space inside. A shopping area like a grocery area could devote some parking spaces whereas downtown you might want to look at finding some kind of centre rather than just having bike parking along the sidewalk.”

The survey – which differs from a program launched earlier this year to to map areas of Kamloops where bikes can be parked – will be open until the end of this month.

Webb says volunteers will stop at businesses throughout the City of Kamloops to give them links to the survey while also telling them about the benefits of offering safe bike parking for customers and employees.

“We want to work with the business community and ensure that their voices are part of the planning process,” she said. “Our research shows that better bicycling infrastructure can actually be beneficial for their bottom line.”

People with questions or those interested in volunteers are being to send an email here.