Photo: Castanet

The Loops Explorer Station, set up at the Sandman Centre Plaza near Riverside Park, will offer the Kamloops Bike Valet service as well as tourism recommendations until the end of August.

The Kamloops Bike Valet is open for another season.

The bike valet and visitor centre hub is set up in the Sandman Centre plaza until Aug. 31, open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. It opened on Friday.

Bike valet personnel will be on hand to park and watch over bicycles. Tourism Kamloops Roam Ambassadors will be working in collaboration with this team to provide information about the city and activity recommendations to visitors and residents.

The Loops Explorer Station also includes Kamloops-branded merchandise for sale, and lawn games to play.

“We have long envisioned a dedicated presence in Riverside Park, and we are incredibly excited to see this initiative come to fruition this summer,” said Lisa White, Tourism Kamloops director of community development and engagement.

“It presents an ideal opportunity for our team to foster meaningful connections and celebrate all that makes Kamloops dynamic and inviting.”

The bike valet operates like a coat check. People can drop off their bicycles or scooters, receive a claim ticket, and personnel watch over the parked items until owners come back to claim them.

“The objective for the bike valet service is to provide a consistent, convenient and reliable service that can be measured for its impact on fostering mode shifts from driving to cycling,” said Glen Cheetham, the city’s climate and sustainability manager, in a statement.

A second bike valet location will be set up in the 200-block of St. Paul Street on Saturdays until Oct. 25, allowing Kamloops Farmers’ Market attendees to safely stash their bicycles while they shop.

This satellite valet will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Photo: Castanet

The Kamloops Bike Valet and Tourism Kamloops information hub is set up at Sandman Centre for the summer season.