Projects

At Quad Bikes, we work on projects that advocate for bicycles and bicycle users.

Abandoned bicycle survey
Kirkland Quad Bikes project

Abandoned Bicycle Survey

We feel that abandoned bicycles are a problem on campus since they take up parking space for active bicycle users, and are generally wasteful. We recently finished a project gathering data on bicycle racks and abandoned bicycles on campus (both the Cambridge campus and Longwood campus). Through our data collection, we found that there are approximately 750 abandoned bicycles on campus and they take up 15% of all available bicycle parking spots.

Building managers are responsible for dealing with abandoned bicycles on the property of their building(s). We feel that building managers have allowed so many bicycles to accumulate for three reasons. First, it is often difficult to determine if a bicycle is abandoned. Second, in the seizure of property, a building manager puts himself in danger of wrongly seizing a non-abandoned bicycle and having to deal with the consequences. Third, it is necessary to have a storage location for holding the seized bicycles for a few months to be sure that the owner of the bicycle does not come to claim it, and building managers often do not have such storage space.

Our next phase of this project is to take steps to clean up abandoned bicycles on campus by working with building managers. This will both make more bicycle parking for active bicycle users, and allow Quad Bikes to refurbish these abandoned bicycles and get them back into use.

For the purposes of this project, we define an "abandoned bicycle" as a bicycle that cannot be ridden. A bicycle that cannot be ridden is one that is missing a tire, wheel, seat, handlebars, or pedal, has severe frame or wheel damage, has a flat tire, or has a seized-up chain.

Kirkland Quad Bikes project

With the help of Quad Bikes, Kirkland has taken 46 unclaimed, old and unused bikes that have been sitting in the basement for many years. We have taken all the bikes to Quad Bikes in an effort to restore, refurbish, and recycle the bikes and their parts. A group of repaired bikes will be returned to Kirkland and individual locks, helmets, and lights will be purchased for each bike. Students will be then allowed to join a communal bike-sharing program which will give them access to all the bikes to be used at their leisure (to turn in a paper, to bike near the river, etc etc). Of note, the bikes will be painted the same distinguishable color so as to differentiate them from other bikes on campus and to serve as a tangible symbol of house camaraderie.

The benefits of the program:
1) Promotes house spirit
2) Makes lives of Kirkland students easier
3) Promotes a greener Harvard (recycle old bikes and promotion of biking in general)
4) Promotes cardiovascular exercise
5) Almost all the money spent goes to a organization that helps and employs students (Quad Bikes)
6) Could lead to similar ventures throughout Harvard

On Thursday, May 15th, Quad Bikes delivered 3 refurbished bicycles along with helmets, lights, and locks to Kirkland to begin the project. Quad Bikes and Kirkland Quad Bikes went on to win the Earth Day Challenge for innovative, pro-environment projects started at Harvard.

For more information about Kirkland Quad Bikes, contact Sloan Eddleston (sloan@post.harvard.edu).