A handful of bike corrals in the Old Strathcona area will stay put through winter for the first time this year.

"The need for effective places to park a bike still exists, even when there is snow on the ground," Darryl Mullen, acting director of traffic operations, said in a news release.

"We hope that by now making these corrals available during all seasons, we help to encourage year-round cycling while supporting our winter city initiatives."

The city and the Old Strathcona Business Association partnered to keep the previously seasonal corrals in place through the colder months.

Five of six corrals will remain open all winter. They are located at:

Whyte Avenue and 104th Street

104th Street, south of 83rd Avenue

105th Street, north of Whyte Avenue

88th Avenue, west of 109th Street

81st Avenue, west of Gateway Boulevard

The city said the decision to keep the corrals will complement the construction of the 83rd Avenue and 102nd Avenue cycle lanes. The corrals will be windrow-free zones.

