Pedal-powered boost for Thursday Island with 100 new bikes
Bikes are set to become as common a sight as boats on Thursday Island after the delivery of a container of 100 pushies following 18 months of fund-raising to mobilise residents.
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Bikes are set to become as common a sight as boats on Thursday Island after a container of pushies was delivered following 18 months of fund-raising for a new project to mobilise residents.
Thursday Island resident and mother, Sarah Tedder, who is behind the Mobilise TI project, said the community was looking to train a bike mechanic to maintain the momentum after 100 new bikes and accessories were transported by sea to the island.
A team of local volunteers and mainland bike mechanics, who flew to the island to help, assembled the boxed bikes in two days.
Ms Tedder said they were snapped up by local families and residents, with the school bike racks full every day and local women sharing their Strava ride records on Instagram.
She said the “ride revolution” on the island was environmentally friendly and was supporting social connections and the healthy lifestyle goals of residents.
“People are telling me they have gone from doing no exercise at all to doing a couple of laps of the island a day,” Ms Tedder said.
“Before the project, only about 20 people (out of more than 2000 residents on the island) said they rode bikes.”
Ms Tedder said Torres Shire Mayor Elsie Seriat was the project ambassador and the delivery was supported by the Cybec Foundation, 99 Bikes, Ports North, Sea Swift, Coral Sea Concrete, CEQ, Island Stars Cafe, Makai Cafe, Adelaide Bike Kitchen and more than 200 individual donors.
“It’s been incredible,” Ms Tedder said.
She said monthly “bike hospital” sessions would be held in a park to help with maintenance, and the next stage of the project was to support a local resident train as a bicycle mechanic.
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Originally published as Pedal-powered boost for Thursday Island with 100 new bikes
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