Last week we partnered with ReSource's Youthbuild program to pilot our first ever Create A Commuter workshop.
Modeled after similar programs of its kind (specifically Portland Gear Hub's Bikes for All Mainers program), the 5-hour workshop set up participants with commuter-ready bicycles and the equities accessories at no cost to the participants. The workshop coupled the excitement of #newbikeday with with instruction on how to maintain, repair, and safely ride the bikes around Burlington.
During the maintenance and repair portion of the workshop, Autumn, Jibril, Moe, and Musa worked at our Community Workshop space and learned about bike anatomy, the ABC safety check, performed a simulated flat fix (removed their rear wheels, removed tire and tube, patched a different tube, and reassembled everything).
During the on-road riding and safety portion of the workshop, they learned about local bike laws, how to ride with traffic, how to shift gears on hill and when coming to a stop, how to give respect and get respect on the roads. The crew went on a ride through downtown Burlington to practice hand signals, taking the lane, maneuvering, changing lanes, shifting, avoid hazards safely, and being generally communicative with other road users.
It was 90 degrees, so we also took a snapchat break at Battery Park:
We'll be following up with these four to see how their new bikes are working out and see if the Create A Commuter workshop helped them ride more and feel safer and more confident on the road. We hope to offer many more Create A Commuter workshops in the future. Because more bikes = more better.
