Neighborhood Bike Works

Last updated
Neighborhood Bike Works
Company type Nonprofit
Industry Youth organizations
FoundedJuly 1999
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Headquarters3939 & 3943 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Area served
University City, West Philadelphia, Mantua, Powelton Village, Belmont
Number of employees
Approx. 12
Website Official Site

Established in 1999, Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW) is a nonprofit educational organization in West Philadelphia. The mission of NBW is to inspire youth and strengthen Philadelphia communities by providing equitable access to bicycling and bike repair through education, recreation, leadership and career-building opportunities.

Contents

History and Locations

Formerly located at Saint Mary's Church (40th and Locust Walk), on the University of Pennsylvania campus, NBW started in 1996 as Youth Cycle & Recycle, a program of The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. It became a separate nonprofit in July 1999. NBW operated a shop in the Haddington neighborhood at 60th and Vine from 2003 to 2012, and a shop in North Philadelphia at 1426 W. Susquehanna Ave., near Temple University, from 2009 to 2015. NBW's South Philadelphia shop, called The Bikery, at 508 S. 5th St. was open from 2010 to 2013. In 2015, Neighborhood Bike Works moved all of its operations to its current and only location on Lancaster Avenue. [1] [2]

2007 MLK Service Day Bicycle works.jpg
2007 MLK Service Day
Slow bike race with Haddington on the Move, 2005. Bicycle works 2.jpg
Slow bike race with Haddington on the Move, 2005.

Activities

NBW runs Earn-A-Bike classes for youth on bike repair and bike safety after school, on weekends, and in the summer. Students complete an eight-week basic bicycle repair class, fixing up used bikes donated by the community. Upon completion, they earn this bike for themselves, together with a helmet and lock. The program features mentoring and positive role models.

Many past youth participants have remained involved in the program, improving their skills while earning credits used to buy parts and accessories. Other programs for youth include summer camps, a youth cycling team that participates in cycling races, leadership development, academic support and tutoring, mountain biking training, and a yearly charity bike build.

NBW also operates a community Open Shop called "Bike Church" that offers local residents the opportunity to repair their own bikes without charge, as well as adult bicycle repair classes.

Every year since 2003, NBW has held an annual Bike Part Art Show, which allows local artists to make artwork from old bike parts or celebrating bike culture. Art is also sold in a silent auction as a fundraiser for NBW youth programs.

Achievements

Media coverage

Bike ride with instructors and students at 40th and Locust, 2005. Bicycle works 3.jpg
Bike ride with instructors and students at 40th and Locust, 2005.

For its unique approach to community development, Neighborhood Bike Works has garnered press coverage in The New York Times , CBS News, [8] The Philadelphia Inquirer , [9] [10] Metro Philadelphia , Philadelphia City Paper , [11] The Daily Pennsylvanian , Comcast Network, [12] and a number of smaller local news sources. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle-friendly</span> Urban planning prioritising cycling

Bicycle-friendly policies and practices help some people feel more comfortable about traveling by bicycle with other traffic. The level of bicycle-friendliness of an environment can be influenced by many factors including town planning and cycling infrastructure decisions. A stigma towards people who ride bicycles and fear of cycling is a social construct that needs to be fully understood when promoting a bicycle friendly culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University City, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States

University City is the easternmost portion of West Philadelphia, encompassing several Philadelphia universities. It is situated directly across the Schuylkill River from Center City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Chicago</span>

Since the advent of the bicycle in the 1860s, Chicago has been distinguished as one of the premier cycling locations in the United States, with such public cycling destinations as Grant Park, Burnham Park and the Chicago Park District's Lakefront Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling advocacy</span> Activities promoting cycling

Cycling advocacy consists of activities that call for, promote or enable increased adoption and support for cycling and improved safety and convenience for cyclists, usually within urbanized areas or semi-urban regions. Issues of concern typically include policy, administrative and legal changes ; advocating and establishing better cycling infrastructure ; public education regarding the health, transportational and environmental benefits of cycling for both individuals and communities, cycling and motoring skills; and increasing public and political support for bicycling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation Alternatives</span>

Transportation Alternatives is a non-profit organization in New York City which works to change New York City's transportation priorities to encourage and increase non-polluting, quiet, city-friendly travel and decrease automobile use. TransAlt seeks a transportation system based on a "Green Transportation Hierarchy" giving preference to modes of travel based on their relative benefits and costs to society. To achieve these goals, T.A. works in five areas: Cycling, Walking and Traffic Calming, Car-Free Parks, Safe Streets and Sustainable Transportation. Promotional activities include large group bicycle rides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Pittsburgh</span> Transportation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

A large metropolitan area that is surrounded by rivers and hills, Pittsburgh has an infrastructure system that has been built out over the years to include roads, tunnels, bridges, railroads, inclines, bike paths, and stairways; however, the hills and rivers still form many barriers to transportation within the city.

The Center for Appropriate Transport (CAT) was a non-profit community center dedicated to bicycles and alternative transport located in Eugene, Oregon, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Bicycle Coalition</span>

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) is a California 501(c)(4) nonprofit public-benefit corporation established to "transform San Francisco's streets and neighborhoods into more livable and safe places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation." Founded in 1971, dormant through much of the 1980s, and re-founded in 1990, the SFBC is considered to be one of the most influential membership-based advocacy organizations in San Francisco. In 2024 it had over 6,000 dues-paying members.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) is a nonprofit advocacy group that has been working to improve conditions for bicyclists in the Greater Philadelphia region through advocacy and education since its founding in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blondell Reynolds Brown</span> American politician (born 1952)

Blondell Reynolds Brown is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She served as a member of the Philadelphia City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Toronto</span>

Toronto, Ontario, like many North American cities, has slowly been expanding its purpose-built cycling infrastructure. The number of cyclists in Toronto has been increasing progressively, particularly in the city's downtown core. As cycling conditions improve, a cycling culture has grown and alternatives such as automobiles are seen as less attractive. The politics of providing resources for cyclists, particularly dedicated bike lanes, has been contentious, particularly since the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute for Transportation and Development Policy</span> American non-profit organization

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) is a non-governmental non-profit organization that focuses on developing bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, promoting biking, walking, and non-motorized transport, and improving private bus operators margins. Other programs include parking reform, traffic demand management, and global climate and transport policy. According to its mission statement, ITDP is committed to "promoting sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilenky Cycle Works</span> American handmade bicycle manufacturer


Bilenky Cycle Works is an American handmade bicycle manufacturer located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Portland, Oregon</span>

Bicycle use in Portland, Oregon has been growing rapidly, having nearly tripled since 2001; for example, bicycle traffic on four of the Willamette River bridges has increased from 2,855 before 1992 to over 16,000 in 2008, partly due to improved facilities. The Portland Bureau of Transportation says 6% of commuters bike to work in Portland, the highest proportion of any major U.S. city and about 10 times the national average.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Bicycle Relief</span> International non-profit focused on bicycle distribution to aid poverty relief

World Bicycle Relief is an international nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities in rural and underserved regions through the power of bicycles. Founded in 2005, the organization designs, manufactures, and distributes purpose-built bicycles to help individuals and communities gain access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities.

The ValloCycle Bike-Share Program is a mutual agreement between the University of Montevallo and Montevallo city to offer bicycle rentals to the surrounding community. The annual membership fees amount is roughly $2 per month for adults and $1 per month for children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Fair</span> American activist

David Fair is an American activist who has been a leader in the labor, LGBT, AIDS, homeless and child advocacy movements in Philadelphia, PA since the 1970s. He has founded or co-founded several advocacy and service organizations, including the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force (1977), the Philadelphia Gay Cultural Festival (1978), Lavender Health (1979), the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Union of the Homeless (1985), Philly Homes 4 Youth (2017), and the Philadelphia Coalition on Opioids and Children (2018), and led the creation of numerous local government health and human service initiatives, including the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (1987) and the Division of Community-Based Prevention Services (2001), the Parenting Collaborative (2003), and the Quality Parenting Initiative (2014) for the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) is a Vancouver-based charity focused on promoting walking, cycling, public transit, and other forms of sustainable transportation in Metro Vancouver. The organization was founded in 1991 and has several active projects as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in the Philippines</span> Popular mode of transport and sport in the Philippines

Cycling is a popular mode of transport and recreational sport in the Philippines. Bicycles were first introduced to the archipelago in the 1880s during the Spanish colonial occupation of the Philippines and served as a common mode of transport, especially among the local mestizo population.

Patrick "PJ" Cunnane is a bicycle business executive from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cunnane was the CEO of Advanced Sports International which owned five bicycle brands under the name Advanced Sports International formerly Advanced Sports Enterprises (ASE). He oversaw the distribution of 450 different bicycle models and the acquisition and operation of the largest bicycle retail chain in the United States. He left ASE in 2019 and is now an executive with Yuba Bicycles.

References

  1. "Neighborhood Bike Works Makes A Big Move". Flying Kite. Issue Media Group. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  2. "Neighborhood Bike Works Announces Move to Lancaster Avenue". Generocity. Technically Media. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  3. "NBW wins PA Department of Environmental Protection Award". Neighborhood Bike Works (Press release). June 7, 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-09-10. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  4. "Pennsylvania Environmental Council honors 7 Philadelphia Sustainability Award winners". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05.
  5. Colletta, Jen (February 12, 2010). "Puppet theater honors community leaders in V-Day gala". Philadelphia Gay News . p. 5. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved June 29, 2021 via Issuu.
  6. de Forest, Ann. "Neighborhood Bike Works at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Hamilton Village" (PDF). Partners for Sacred Places. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-20.
  7. "Neighborhood Bike Works Nominated for 2011 Human Values Award". Neighborhood Bike Works. Money Matters Today. September 30, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  8. Brotherly Love: Neighborhood Bike Works. CBS 3 News, Philadelphia. July 22, 2009.
  9. The art of cycling: A bicycle parts craft show. The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 11, 2009.
  10. Well Being: Ride of Dreams takes them far. The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 1, 2011.
  11. Biketopia: How to make Philly a cyclist's paradise. Philadelphia City Paper. June 3, 2009.
  12. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW) in the news. YouTube .
  13. Switching Gears: West Philly's Earn a Bike program brings kids wheels, skills and life lessons. Fourteenth Street Magazine. May 2009.

39°57′09″N75°12′07″W / 39.9524°N 75.2019°W / 39.9524; -75.2019