For Immediate Release:

Salt Lake City Council Approves Resolution to Donate Unclaimed Bikes to the SLC Bike Collective

11-6-09 (Salt Lake City) -- The Salt Lake City Council unanimously approved a resolution last night that will allow Salt Lake City to donate all unclaimed bicycles held by the Salt Lake City Police Department to the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective.

"We have experienced a tremendous demand for bicycles this year and this influx of bicycles will help those in need, specifically those in need of transportation," said an elated Jonathan Morrison, Executive Director of the Collective.  "The Collective would like to publicly thank the Mayor's Office, specifically Matt Lyon, David Everitt, and Mayor Becker as well as the City Council for collaboration on this resolution."

SLCPD holds bicycles that are abandoned, recovered as stolen property, or as evidence in cases. The bikes are held for a specified amount of time (generally 90 days) and attempts are made to contact the owner of the bicycle.  If the bicycle is unclaimed after that time period, then the bikes are deemed surplus and have in the past been auctioned off or disposed of.

The new program will see that the bikes are put back on the streets to serve the residents of Salt Lake City and County.  The Collective will repair and service the bikes as needed and provide those bikes to low-income residents or non-profit organizations. Putting the bikes back on the streets helps to increase the level of cycling in Salt Lake City and benefits the City and its residents by reducing air pollution and carbon output, increasing the health of its residents, and providing transportation solutions to its low-income residents.

The resolution was the result of a year-long process of that required the drafting of an agreement between Salt Lake City and the Collective, conducting a Doug Short analysis to show that the donated items would improve the public good, and much hard work from Matt Lyon of the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office. The Mayor's Office, the Collective, the Salt Lake City Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee, SLC Police Department, the Salt Lake City Council and Staff, and the City Attorney's Office contributed to the process.

The approval of the resolution should result in the donation of approximately 100-200 bikes per year to the Collective given current levels of unclaimed bicycles.  The resolution provides for a cap of 400 bikes per year to be donated to the Collective.

The draft agreement and resolution can be viewed here: http://www.slcgov.com/council/agendas/2009agendas/Nov5/110509C5.pdf
 

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The Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee (MBAC) is an all volunteer advocacy organization whose purpose is to promote, enhance, preserve and, where necessary, restore physical, social, political and economic environments in which bicycling is recognized as an essential element of a clean, healthy, and vital community.  For information on the MBAC or this press release, contact Dave Iltis, Chair at 801-328-2066, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit slcgov.com/bike.

The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society.  For more information, including crank addiction, visit www.slcbikecollective.org or call 801-FAT-BIKE.

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Dave Iltis
801-328-2066
Chair, Salt Lake City Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee
slcgov.com/bike

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Rachel Colledge (801) 936-0318

7th Grade Teacher, Spectrum Academy

SEVENTH-GRADE STUDENTS FROM SPECTRUM ACADEMY WITH HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM AND ASPERGER’S SYNDROME GAIN SKILLS FROM SALT LAKE CITY BICYCLE COLLECTIVE EARN-A-BIKE PROGRAM

October 16, 2009 --Spectrum Academy, the premier charter school in Utah that tailors learning environment and curriculum to accommodate the unique needs of children with Asperger's Syndrome and other high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders is partnering with the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective to provide unique learning opportunities for these students in the areas of bicycle mechanics and assembly, teamwork, project management and social skills.

The generous volunteers and staff of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective offer their time twice per week for one hour sessions to instruct and assist 7th grade students in repairing and reconstructing bicycles that they will earn to keep upon the completion of their session. These amazing volunteers are working to ensure that these students with special needs have an especially-enriching experience.

Students are finding themselves accomplishing feats that they once thought impossible, thereby helping them to feel more self-reliant and capable of accomplishing a project. Some examples are: students with fine motor deficiencies are now reconstructing the inner workings of the bicycle tire. Students who are working on improving their social skills ability are now working in teams.

Spectrum Academy is ever so grateful for the generosity of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective and its efforts to offer such wonderful hands-on education to those with special needs.

Class Days: Tuesday and Thursdays
Class Time: 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m.
Class Place: Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective: 2312 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115

Momentum Magazine issue 41, pages 19 & 21:

The 19th century Mormon prophet Brigham Young instructed the builders of Salt Lake City to make the roads wide enough to allow horse-drawn carts to make U-turns. Whether or not you believe in prophets, you have to wonder whether he sensed how modern cyclists would struggle to share the road with motorists. Just as Young was concerned with the future of transportation in Salt Lake City, the city’s modern leaders foresee the necessity of improving the city’s cycling infrastructure.

Parked outside the Salt Lake City Hall you can often find mayor Ralph Becker’s well-loved commuter bike. Becker, a long-time commuter cyclist, has increased the cycling infrastructure budget from $50,000 to $500,000 to double the city’s 60 miles of bike lanes over the next several years. He and his Bicycle Advisory Committee have put the wheels in motion to establish a bicycle transit center at the Intermodal Hub in downtown Salt Lake City, with the hope of installing a bike share program.

Read More...

City Weekly

Click on the image for the entire article.

Click on the image to see the whole article.  Thanks to everyone involved in the Collective for making this such a lean, friendly and fun non-profit.  Good work!

Courtesy of the City Weekly:

BEST NO-BOYS CLUB
Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective’s Women’s Night
Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective operates on the philosophy, “Teach them to fish, and they can feed themselves,” but many students won’t even ask for lessons. Walking into a warehouse full of gearheads can be intimidating, especially for fiercely independent women who are embarrassed to admit they can’t change a flat bicycle tire. The collective understands, completely. This year, the local nonprofit added to its impressive list of outreach programs a bi-monthly Women’s Night, with female mechanics teaching women how to work on their own bikes in a friendly, pressure-free environment. All ages and levels welcome, each second and fourth Wednesday.
2312 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, 801-328-2453

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