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Bike Donate

Give Your Old Bike A New Life: Donate It!

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Donate Your Old Bike Today!

If you listen to KCBX or any other public radio station, you’ve probably heard announcements asking for donations of old cars to help sustain their programs. You donate a car, it gets sold at auction, a percentage of the proceeds go to your favorite public radio station (and you get a tax break).

It may surprise you to know that Bike SLO County has a similar program – but instead of cars, we accept bikes. When you donate your old bicycle to Bike SLO County, your gift works in a number of ways:

  • By donating your old bike instead of throwing it away, you’re helping the environment by keeping it from heading to a landfill before its time.
  • Your bike will be tuned up and given a new life, giving someone else years of joy and transportation.
  • Your bicycle may be sold to someone looking for a gently used bicycle. The proceeds help Bike SLO County fund our other programs (Bike Education, Bike Valet, Bike Advocacy, Kidical Mass)
  • Your bicycle may be donated to someone through our Ride Well program, which serves SLO County families and individuals in need, for whom a bicycle may provide much needed mobility.
  • You get, at your request, a receipt of your gift that allows you to deduct your donation on your taxes.

Bike DonateWill We Accept Any Bike?

Great question! While we do accept most bikes, we can’t accept all bikes.

  • We do not accept “department store” bikes (Next, Roadmaster, Magma, modern Free Spirits). Why not? These bicycles are often constructed with very low quality parts in non-standard sizes and are not designed to be serviceable. Due to their limited compatibility, we are not able to make sure that they are safe to ride.
  • We do not accept bikes that are beyond help. That rusted bike that has been buried in wet leaves for the last 3 years? No thanks! Use your best judgement. When in doubt, call Michael at 547-2055 and ask us if your bike sounds like a good candidate for donation.
  • We do accept most other bicycles and will repair them (or use them for spare parts). “Old” does not mean we won’t accept it – it’s about quality, not age.

What’s The Next Step?

Ready to give your bike a new life? Bring your bicycle to the Bike Kitchen, 860 Pacific St, Suite 105, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (map) any Friday, Saturday or Sunday between the hours of Noon – 5 PM.

Thank you for helping make SLO County an even better place for bikes!

 

83% of Americans Support Federal Funding for Biking

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A recent report from our national partners at America Bikes found that 83% of all respondents support maintaining or increasing the federal funding streams that pay for sidewalks, bikeways, and bike paths.

We know this is true, we see it everyday, with increasing ridership both locally, and nationally. Americans want active transportation options, a way to get around their communities safely, and while being active. The threat to eliminating funding for biking and walking is real, and would roll back the options in our transportation system back into the 1950s.

More and more Americans are turning to biking for transportation on a daily basis. In 2009, Americans took 4 billion bike trips, and the number of bicycle commuters has grown 43% since 2000.

One of the most noticeable parts of the report, is that support for biking and walking funding is bi-partisan, is not related to geography, and is strong across all age groups. In a time where biking trips are rapidly increasing, it is a mistake to put the safety of road users at risk by eliminating funding.

…Many lawmakers have zeroed in on eliminating funding for biking and walking as a wishful solution to our country’s fiscal woes, though cutting these critical but small programs has virtually no impact on the federal deficit. Currently, only 1.5% of federal transportation spending funds sidewalks and bikeways.

If you want to continue to see better bikeways and bike paths locally, support our Connect SLO County initiative, aimed at completing our bike paths. We are dedicated to making sure people of all ages can get around by bicycle, and are your voice for bicycles in SLO County and beyond!

You can view the entire report from America Bikes online here.

Advocacy Alert

Bicycle & Pedestrian Funding Under Attack

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This year, around $700 million of Federal transportation funds, (less than 2 percent of total transportation dollars) will be spent on bicycling and walking.  In 2012 that figure could be A BIG FAT ZERO. Show our leaders that bicyclists are voters too!

Join the Coalition, our state and national partners and call your Senator to let them know you support CONTINUED FUNDING FOR BIKING AND WALKING. The League of American Bicyclists has a simple site to find out who your Senator is, and allows you to easily contact them. We ask that you take just a moment and contact your Senator TODAY.

We have created a simple infographic to outline the importance of this issue, feel free to share with your friends and family: