For many low-income families, lack of equipment to engage in physical activity limits their ability to achieve recommended amounts of exercise. B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop is working to change that.
Getting kids on bikes is a great way to increase physical activity while also providing many other benefits to the child, their family, and the community.
However, rapidly growing little ones present a unique challenge. Many families may not be able to keep up with the potentially high cost of buying bikes that fit, while also having outgrown bikes left languishing in garages and sheds.
B!KE’s Kids Bike Build program refurbishes children’s bikes donated by community members and provides them to partnered social service organizations. The program affords children the opportunity to experience the joy of riding a bicycle, while setting them up for long-term success getting around by bike, all without financial barriers.
Last year, B!KE received an Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow grant to increase the number of bikes donated through the program, provide safety accessories with each bike (a helmet, lights, bell, and lock), and give recipients basic cycling skills training.
With safety accessories and training, kids’ independence also increased, allowing them to explore their neighbourhoods and nature more readily.
Why bikes and not scooters, skateboards, or inline skates?
Studies have shown that cycling one kilometre on flat ground is anywhere from four to five times more energy-efficient than walking the same distance. For getting to school, friends’ houses, or anywhere in between, cycling is simply the most effective mode of transportation when considering energy expenditure per kilometre.
This efficiency also allows cyclists to conserve energy for activities they have planned for when they arrive at their destination.
Cycling has also been linked to improved mental health outcomes among kids and young adults. This could also have to do with getting and staying outside, spending time in nature, and being around friends — but cycling also facilitates easier access to these activities, so it’s a win for kids either way.
B!KE is also promoting the circular economy by repurposing neglected bikes, instead of seeing them be scrapped. Usually comprised of a steel frame with aluminum, rubber, and plastic parts, bikes are a high embodied-energy product that could have a long potential lifespan if not sent to landfill or recycling.
“We all benefit when people move toward options that are more sustainable, repairable, and resilient,” says B!KE exeuctive director Mark Romeril. “Getting the next generation on bikes is just the tip of the iceberg.”
As part of the messaging around Kids Bike Build, families are encouraged to tap into local solutions for long-term sustainability.
When a kid grows too big for their bike, it can be donated back to B!KE, ensuring that another kid will be able to enjoy it. There is also the option of passing the bike along to a neighbour, relative, or friend who could use it.
Kids Bike Build is also an enriching experience for B!KE’s volunteers. They become part of a team with a shared purpose that benefits a much younger population than the shop typically engages with, while engaging in a program that has direct, visible, and meaningful impact in Peterborough.
To donate a bike or volunteer for the Kids Bike Build program, email Sunny Malik at sunny@communitybikeshop.org.
B!KE partners with GreenUP throughout the year to deliver a variety of cycling-focused outreach programming, including Shifting Gears, Rack ‘n’ Roll, and community cycling events.
Learn more about B!KE at communitybikeshop.org and GreenUP at greenup.on.ca.
