In November 2016 the city of Healdsburg installed three self-serve bicycle repair stations. They’re strategically placed in locations where bicyclists will be likely see and use them as they make their way through town; near the Bear Republic brew pub, just north of Healdsburg City Hall and by the entrance to Recreation Park. The stations were installed as a result of Healdsburg earning a Bronze Medal distinction of being a Bicycle Friendly city in 2014 from the League of America Bicyclists. To keep this distinction, the city needs to follow a list of suggested improvements, with the hope of improving the rating to silver, gold, or even platinum.
What these repair stations offer to cyclists, at no cost, is a stand to put the bicycle on for repairs and a set of tools which include two steel core tire levers, a hex key set, 8mm/10mm and 9mm/11mm wrenches, a headset/pedal wrench, Phillips and flat head screwdrivers, a T25 Torx wrench and an air pump for tires. The tools are attached to the top of the stand with counter weighted stainless steel aircraft cables that keep them easily available. For cyclists who may be unsure of what they need to use, there’s a QR (quick response) code so they can download repair instructions on a smart phone.
While these bike repair stations may seem like a good first step, the back story to how they happened began years ago. Richard Peacock, owner of Spoke Folk Cyclery on Center street, as well as a member of the city of Healdsburg’s Transportation Advisory Commission, is very familiar with the process that the city has gone through to get this far. He clarified that the city had applied for the bicycle-friendly designation in 2012, but due to issues with the original application, they were denied the designation that year. This prompted the creation of an ad hoc committee to make sure suggested changes were put into place, such as increasing the number of bike racks downtown, along with a more careful approach to the next application they’d submit.
This attention to detail meant that the next time the city applied, it was granted the bronze medal status as a bicycle-friendly city in 2014 and the improvements continued. At the Aug. 3, 2015, Healdsburg City Council meeting $4,135 was approved for the purchase and installation of three bicycle repair stations. According to Assistant City Manager Heather Ippoliti, each repair station cost $1,221. This puts the cost of the stands at $3,663, and installation at $472.
So what happened between 2014 and 2016? Peacock was upbeat about the process, saying only that there were times that communication could have been better between all parties. For example, the city approved the use of the Community Benefit Trust Fund to cover the cost of bike repair stations Jan. 20, 2015 – but since a consensus hadn’t been reached as to where they should be installed, the appropriation elapsed on June 30, 2015. It was able to be brought up for reconsideration in August, and was unanimously passed, making the funds available again at that time.
A little over a year later the bicycle repair stations are all in place and ready to serve the residents of Healdsburg, as well as those just pedaling through. The only concern that Peacock has heard recently are from people wondering if the bicycle repair stands are hurting his business. When asked about this, he just gave another quick smile and replied, “No, they’re brilliant. People should be able to fix the minor things on their own – we’re here for the bigger problems.” He believes that Healdsburg is built to be a bicycle friendly city and it’s only getting better.
Community Services Director Mark Themig shares this view, asserting that Healdsburg has always been a bicycle-friendly, and will continue to improve.
Healdsburg City Council member Joe Naujokas wasn’t keen to talk numbers, but was very much on board with speaking about Healdsburg being not only one of the most bicycle-friendly towns in California, but how he is personally behind working to ensure that it continues to get better. Naujokas has gotten recognition from Facebook groups such a Healdsburg Organization of Bicycle Organizations (HOBOs) for his bicycle advocacy, and he organized a ride called Healdsburg from the Handlebars with interested local cyclists in order to look at proposed places to put the stations on Oct. 23, 2016; a month before they were installed.
While bike shop owners and city council members are a good first reference for getting background on the repair stands and what the city is doing at the ground level to keep Healdsburg on the bicycle-friendly map, local cyclists such as Nick Grudzien have a more straightforward view. When asked, Grudzien remarked, “Sure, the scenery around Healdsburg is absolutely world class for a [bike] ride, but how I see them using my tax dollars to improve the roads? Not so world-class.”
