Local bicycle cops have been getting around a little easier over the past few months thanks to four e-bikes funded by the City of Burnaby.
Burnaby RCMP got the Trek e-bikes in October for just under $6,000 each, and the detachment said they are "significantly increasing the distance and variety of terrain the team is covering while on duty."
"We have been able to patrol new areas that would usually be really difficult for us on traditional bikes," bike unit acting supervisor Const. Wyndham Fraser said in a news release Thursday.
Places with steep grades such as Capitol Hill and SFU are now "much more accessible," Fraser said, and the team has started patrols in areas they didn't think would be possible on bikes.
Insp. Peri Mainwaring, Burnaby RCMP's community programs officer said the e-bikes have been a "game changer" for the bike team, including their response time and visibility in the community.
Among the benefits of patrolling on bikes is being able to access spaces hard to reach by vehicle, including trails, alcoves, stairwells and parkades, according to Fraser, and with the new e-bikes, the team's range in a day is now "nearly unlimited," he said.
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