Bend Velo Bicycle Shop has recently been commissioned to build a fleet of ten bikes for the Jefferson County School District’s new Bike Share program. The Bike Share, in conjunction with the County’s Wellness program is designed to help provide a healthful work environment and support the adoption of healthy habits by employees.
The Jefferson County School District 509-J has almost 400 full- and part-time employees, serving approximately 2900 students in rural Jefferson County.
This project marks the first and only bike share program in Central Oregon. By providing a bicycle through a bike share program, employees of the school district can check out a bike for a quick run to the store or appointment and get a bit of exercise at the same time. Riding a bicycle more often will not only benefit each rider through increased exercise, but getting people out of their cars will reduce traffic, congestion, and pollution and save employees money with fewer trips to the gas pump.
The 10 bike fleet will be repurposed from older steel mountain bikes. Bend Velo specializes in repurposing older steel frames into practical commuter bikes known as J. Livingston Bicycles. The school district appreciated the environmental aspect of refurbishing an older bicycle rather than buying new bikes for the fleet. The bikes will be fitted with fenders, racks, lights, and locks and ready to roll when staff check them out for trips. Bend Velo is in the final build process for the fleet and expects to deliver them to Madras in the beginning of April.
