For many students at Cupertino High School, biking is their main mode of transportation to commute to school. Students must safely make it to and from school in the mornings and afternoons on bicycles. However, many students ride bicycles that are not up to par, and may be in a state of disrepair, posing a significant danger to the rider. The benefits of commuting to and from school on a bike can be overshadowed by the risks of riding a poorly maintained bike.
Recognizing this, the Cupertino High School Safe Routes to School team recently hosted Dr. Bike, a free bike repair event, emphasizing the importance of safe cycling among students.
The event, held after school on Friday, April 26th, repaired a little over 40 bicycles with both students and faculty showing up for bike repairs. It was organized in collaboration with Community Cycles of California, who transformed the Cupertino High School bike racks area into a repair shop for students’ bicycles.
The event was funded through a $10,000 grant by Silicon Valley Clean Energy. Cupertino High School Safe Routes to School students Raashi Sachdeva and Henry Widjaja, mentored by Safe Routes parent Seema Lindskog and Vice-Principal Steve Puccinelli, successfully applied for and obtained the grant.
The funding will pay for Dr Bike events to be hosted at each of the five Cupertino high schools.
At the event, the Safe Routes to School team handed out free bike bells, bike lights, and other cycling accessories to students while they waited for their bike repair.
The bicycles came in a range of conditions; some simply needed a tune-up or new brake pads, but one bike was presented in two separate pieces and covered in rust. Community Cycles volunteers were able to successfully repair all the bicycles – and yes, even the one that was presented in two pieces was put back together and the student rode it away!
Cupertino High Safe Routes to School members (in center) Raashi Sachdeva, Seema Lindskog, and Henry Widjaja along with Collin Bruce, Co-Founder and CEO of Community Cycles and two hardworking Community Cycles bike repair volunteers.
The bikes were repaired until all requests were complete. Many grateful students rode more easily and safely after this event!
The result of this event was not just a repair event – but an invaluable lesson that bike maintenance is key to safety for students who regularly cycle to and from school. Beyond its practical benefits, Dr. Bike also highlights the power of community collaboration in promoting a culture of safe transportation to and from school, as well as lessons for safe ridership later in life.
We will be scheduling Dr Bike repair events in the fall at all five Cupertino high schools. Keep an eye out for the flyer!
All students requesting bike repair were given a card showing their place in line, so they did not have to stand in line until it was their turn.