Jeremy Bradley drains the last of his water bottle as he heads home to James Bay on his electric bike.
After a 45-kilometre round-trip ride out to the Saanich Peninsula on the Lochside and Galloping Goose trails, he’s parched and could use a refill for the last stretch home.
So he was intrigued to find out that Saanich is considering allowing pop-up refreshment shops, mobile food vendors and farm-gate operators along the trail systems within its municipal boundaries.
“It sounds really nice, and I would use it,” Bradley said during a brief stop at Saanich Municipal Hall on Tuesday. “I think it would be convenient.”
Bradley said the increase in e-bike traffic on the trail system has been significant over the past year, so providing services along the corridors would be an asset for riders now travelling long distances with electric assist.
Cyclist Christina Paterson agrees, as long as the pop-up shops don’t impede bike traffic or create crowds that could be dangerous for riders. “It would be interesting,” she said, “because there’s not a lot of stops along the way.”
Ideas from Saanich Coun. Rebecca Mersereau and Mayor Fred Haynes for pop-up shops include ice-cream vendors, flower and produce sellers, coffee and food shops and bicycle-repair kiosks.
Paterson could have used the latter on Tuesday afternoon after a damaged tire valve cut short one of her three daily rides on the Lochside and Goose, and she was forced to walk her bike home.
A notice of motion is being prepared by Haynes and Mersereau to bring before council on Sept. 19 — the last meeting before the civic election on Oct. 15.
If the idea has support, Hayes said council would look at specific locations, safety issues, landscaping, portable toilet facilities and approvals from health authorities.
“We haven’t done any formal surveys, but we’ve got significant positive feedback from users of the trails and vendors,” said Haynes. He noted Mersereau’s initial suggestion on Twitter to start considering the idea “went viral” several weeks ago.
More than a third of the 29-kilometre Lochside Trail is within Saanich boundaries, and it connects with the Galloping Goose through Uptown, where the Galloping Goose flows south into downtown Victoria and north toward the West Shore.
Haynes said about 20,000 riders travel through Saanich on a daily basis on the trails.
He said the idea of vendors along the trails surfaced about six years ago during the municipality’s pilot study on food trucks and mobile vendors, but had been “put on the back burner” until recently.
“Two years of the pandemic and the explosion of popularity of e-bikes have changed things on the economic landscape,” said Haynes, noting work and commuting to work have both changed.
“The economics are there now that support how people are travelling and how they’re working. Can you imagine having a meeting on the trail, having a coffee or an ice cream at a place with tables and chairs?”
Hayes said the initiative would support emerging entrepreneurs, farmers along the trails and even home gardeners who might want to sell flowers or other wares.
With the advent of the e-bike, he said, many families now use cargo bikes that allow them to carry groceries and larger loads normally transported by vehicles.
Saanich has also been watching the City of Victoria’s move in March to allow permits for pop-up shops along Dallas Road, where on busy weekends, as many as eight food trucks and trailside cafes spring up near Clover Point.
On Wednesday, Clover Coffee was doing a brisk business serving espressos, lattes and baked goods to rollerbladers, dog walkers and cyclists — even a vacationing couple from England on rented bicycles.
Dog walker Jenny Reid said adding kiosks along the region’s trails provides “social settings” that bring people together, and it’s a less-expensive way for entrepreneurs to start a business.
“You want to see people make a living at something like this,” Reid said. “I know it’s really popular here.”
Clover Coffee employee Marina McLaren said cyclists are the core of the business. They don’t have to lock up their bikes, and can just stop for a moment or grab and go. Others lounge on lawn chairs.
By early Wednesday afternoon, about 50 paying customers had rolled through, while on weekends that number can double and triple, said McLaren.
Amanda Dragland and Kieran Huggins, out walking dog Kona, said they’re used to supporting outdoor kiosks and cafes during the pandemic. “It’s convenient, and you don’t have to tie up the dog and leave them if you’re going inside,” said Dragland.
Huggins said he would “100% support” the move to bring vendors on the local trail system.
“You can get a coffee on your way to work or an ice cream in the summer,” he said.
