Environmental

Local Motion's Try-It Library

One of the exciting permanent legacies of the 2009 EcoMobility Demonstration Project in the neighbourhood of Parkallen was the creation of a traveling library of interesting bicycles, scooters, bike trailers and other ecomobile modes of transportation. This Try-It Library gives citizens an opportunity to try out a number of different ways to be more ecomobile without trekking down to the local bike store.

You close a local street or parking lot so people can give the wheels a try, and provide helmets for safety. Some of the bikes, such as our cargo bike, are ones that are currently not even available locally, as the program hopes to spark interest and local demand for these products. Along with the Library, other unique elements are a display of information on being more ecofriendly and an ETS bus bike rack to try out so participants can be more confident in its use. Edmonton is a very bike-able city, with access to 160 kilometres of paved bike paths in our gorgeous river valley.

The Try-It Library is hosted by Community Services Program Team Staff and is set up to come out to community events at a nominal charge to cover the staff costs. Costs to set up the Library were covered by a grant from Transport Canada and the City of Edmonton.

To have a Try-It Library in your community, there are a few things that are needed to be able to run the program effectively. A basketball court sized space, a bike path or parking lot is needed to let citizens have enough room to try out the various bikes. As we transport our bikes with a van and trailer, we also need to be able to drive up to the area to unload equipment.

One other fun option to have at your Try-It Library program is Mocktails. A blender is hooked up to generator which is powered by a bicycle! Treat yourself to a non-alcoholic smoothie that is sure to hit the spot on a hot summer day!

For more information:

Karina Ma

Title	Recreation Technician
Telephone	780-496-2990