Docklands Community Bike Hub hopes to add to the social fabric of Docklands
Docklands based not-for-profit organisation Good Cycles has been running a crowd funding campaign to raise $40,000 for a Bike Community on Harbour Esplanade. Ending on June 27th the campaign has so far generated $24,936.60 in pledges. The initiative has already received support from The Lord Mayor's Charitable Fund and the Bank of Melbourne in addition to Places Victoria's pledge to match every dollar pledged up to $20,000.
To be completed in August pending the success of the crowd funding campaign, the new hub will operate as a small bike shop and service centre, while also providing another facility for Good Cycles to conduct a range of social programs. It will be located on Harbour Esplanade just south of the Hortus cafe near the NAB building and just like Hortus, the converted shipping container by artist George Rose, will be a semi-permanent fixture on the waterfront.
The Docklands Community Bike Hub seeks to build on Good Cycles' goal of enriching lives through bicycles by providing a bike workshop, service centre and cycling hub beside the Capital City Trail on the water Docklands. The Community Bike Hub will service the thousands of daily bike commuters using the Harbour Esplanade bike paths and provide a further facility for participants in Good Cycle's social programs to gain invaluable, hands-on industry experience.
The Bike Hub is designed to be a centre for all things cycling: somewhere to meet, learn, share stories and develop a love for bicycle. The Docklands Community Bike Hub's establishment will have an immediate impact on Good Cycles social programs allowing them to transition more of their participants through to employment in the industry.
Beyond this the Bike Hub is all about cycling, promoting its benefits, bringing the community together and getting more people riding. Bikes can address many of the most pressing issues that the broader community are currently confronting: obesity, mental-health, social isolation, youth and long term unemployment and sustainability.
The Hub will also go some way to further activating Harbour Esplanade in the short to medium term in tandem with Hortus, while the master plan for the area is further developed and eventually implemented. Harbour Esplanade is one of the busiest bike routes in Melbourne and will continue to be as Docklands' population grows, its waterfront develops and further bike paths are added to its current network.
About Good Cycles
Good Cycles is a Docklands based organisation that operates a retail bike store, a large bicycle servicing center. They are also a social enterprise and a registered charity – all the revenue from their commercial enterprise goes to supporting social programs focused on finding employment pathways, both within and outside the bike industry, for those experiencing significant disadvantage.
Good Cycles also runs workshops in bicycle repair and maintenance and helps deliver bike-based programs for local governments and community organisations.They currently have a large workshop service centre and retail store at 750 Collins Street.
To find out more and to pledge please visit: https://letsact.com.au/projects/the-harbour-esplanade-community-bike-hub/
To learn more about Good Cycles and the work they do please visit: http://www.goodcycles.org/
