SE Minnesota News

The City of Rochester, in partnership with Pata de Perro, Destination Medical Center (DMC) and WeBikeRochester, is granting 50 refurbished bicycles to local organizations and individuals who applied and demonstrated an interest and a need for a bike. Refurbished bicycles will be distributed to selected individuals and organizations from the Silver Lake Station on May 4 and 5, 2023. The City received almost 200 applications for the bikes, including 180 from individuals and 13 organizations interested in a bike fleet for their clients.

This year’s program would have required nearly 300 bicycles to fulfil demand requested by the community. Individuals who were not selected for the grant are invited to stop by and learn about other opportunities to earn or receive a bicycle, the future of local bikeshare and other bike related events and information.

Paul Claus, local volunteer from Pata de Perro, a local volunteer organization that refurbishes bikes shared, “There are those in our community who depend on bicycles as their primary and often only mode of transportation; youth, blue collar commuters, and those without a choice of transportation due to loss of privileges or economic circumstances. Pata has been working hard to meet some of that need for over 14 years. Our recent collaboration with the City and DMC to restore its NiceRide Fleet for granting has demonstrated how much more can be accomplished when highly motivated volunteers are provided adequate space and a small amount of funding.”

The goal of the program is to provide the bikes from the previous NiceRide bike share program to individuals who have no other transportation option. These bicycles are provided free of charge and fully refurbished through volunteer efforts led by members of the local cycling community. Some applicants expressed a desire to use a bike to engage in a healthier and more active lifestyle, to spend time outdoors, and to spend time with family. Due to volume of applications, the City prioritized households seeking a bike out of transportation necessity: to complete daily travel needs such as simply completing errands or traveling to and from work. The organizations selected were prioritized based on their ability to facilitate their own small-scale bikeshare, having pre-established relationships with those who were already limited in their transportation options.

The City would like to thank Pata de Perro, Rochester’s Community Bike Club, and We Bike Rochester for their dedication to supporting transportation equity in Rochester. Volunteers from these organizations devoted over 200 hours to repairing, maintaining, and refurbishing the donated bikes, which were received in various conditions of disrepair, in preparation for the giveaway.

Community members who have unused bikes or bike parts collecting dust in storage are encouraged to donate it to Pata de Perro at their annual Bike Swap Event on May 13. This organization will complete any needed bike maintenance and then donate to members of the community in need of a reliable mode of transportation. 

Original source can be found here.