The WRENCH is on the move
Non-profit bike shop launches fundraiser for new building
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/times/The-WRENCH-is-on-th…
The WRENCH is launching a fundraising campaign in tandem with its annual
Cycle of Giving event in hopes of finding another home.
The Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub, a bike shop that offers
programs aimed at educating youth and empowering volunteers, is located in
the basement of the Animal Services building on Logan Avenue. Overwhelmed
by hundreds of bikes, tools and parts, the WRENCH wants to add some
square-footage to its cycling hub and is searching for an additional space.
“We’re busting at the seams and we’re constantly having to dance around
piles of bikes that are kind of edging into walkways,” Kate Sjoberg,
executive director, said.
“The WRENCH has been a part of creating a culture of cycling in Winnipeg
for a long time, and creating physical infrastructure that can help
cyclists like community bike shops … So, we really see this move towards
establishing an above-ground space as a part of that story of Winnipeg
embracing cycling, and Winnipeg creating the spaces needed to support
cyclists in the city, whether they are new to cycling, or have been cycling
for a long time.”
The Moving On Up campaign will begin Sat., Dec. 5, the same day the WRENCH
is celebrating the 10th annual Cycle of Giving.
Every year, volunteers come together to build as many bikes as possible
within 24 hours using bicycles and parts saved from local landfill and
recycling sites. The WRENCH partners with local organizations, schools and
families to subsequently distribute the bikes to kids.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers have been building
bikes in their home-based or private shops since the beginning of November.
“This decentralised build will culminate on Dec. 5, a day of simultaneous
bike building at shops throughout the city,” a news release said.
“We’ve got more than two dozen people, individuals, and also bike shops,
building bikes as we speak,” Sjoberg said.
“On the day of Dec. 5, we’re treating it as a celebratory kind of day where
everyone’s building at the same time. And so, we’re going to encourage
people to be connecting over social media and sharing what they’re doing in
their homes. And then we’ll distribute the bikes after Dec. 5.”
Leading up to that Saturday, the WRENCH will be posting on its social media
pages stories and histories of Winnipeg bike culture and activism.
Also different this year, the WRENCH is gifting individuals items for their
donations.
If someone donates $30 or more, they will receive a screen-printed WRENCH
t-shirt with artwork by Sarah Thiessen, the organization’s volunteer
co-ordinator.
Someone who donates $60 or more will receive a WRENCH t-shirt and raffle
ticket for one of three hand-painted helmets by Graffiti Gallery-affiliated
artist Marco Muller.
A donation of $100 or more will earn the donor a WRENCH t-shirt and raffle
ticket for a hand-painted bike by Art City-affiliated artist Kiana Fontaine.
More information can be found online at thewrench.ca
Worthwhile read (or refresher):
*Elite projection* is the belief, among relatively fortunate and
influential people, that what those people find convenient or attractive is
good for the society as a whole. Once you learn to recognize this simple
mistake, you see it everywhere. It is perhaps the single most
comprehensive barrier to prosperous, just, and liberating cities.
https://humantransit.org/2017/07/the-dangers-of-elite-projection.html
[shared from the TDM listserv]
Hi all, a really interesting study just came out of Portland State
University. They looked at vehicle speed before and after the city
re-signed certain designated streets to 20 MPH (from 25 MPH). They found
that average speed did not change *but *the highest speeds were reduced.
And those highest-speed vehicles are disproportionately responsible for
injuries and fatalities, so this change is meaningful in the Vision Zero
landscape.
I think it's really interesting to see that signage changes alone do, in
fact, appear to change driver behavior. And this gives me the chance to
plug one of my favorite (paywall free!) academic articles
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140517307302>,
which explores possible theories of change - aka mechanisms by which a 20
MPH speed limit may affect safety outcomes.
Study here
<https://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pbot-20-mph-speed-study…>,
and overview article on Bikeportland here
<https://bikeportland.org/2020/12/01/report-citys-new-20-mph-signs-have-redu…>
.
-Jessica
*JESSICA ROBERTS*
*Pronouns: she/her*
Principal | *Alta Planning + Design, Inc.*
*Working remotely: c**:* 503.752.4144
Portland, OR | altago.com
