With these funds I will...

With these funds, 12^th grade students at High Tech High North County (HTHNC) in San Marcos, CA will rehabilitate used bikes to create a pilot lending program similar to Citibike (https://www.citibikenyc.com/how-it-works). This project, Bikes over Busses (BoB), will directly benefit the students participating in its design, but will also benefit students and teachers of the HTHNC community at large. A bike-lending program on our campus will allow students living in a 3-5 mile radius of the school an opportunity to commute by bike regardless of thier financial background. The BoB program will promote the use of bikes by the teachers and staff of our school and those of our sister middle and elementary schools for local errands.

Participation in this project will distill valuable skills while teaching students about environmental and social issues surrounding public transport and urban design. Students will gain practical experience as they refurbish old bikes, and design, build and install bike lending stations on the HTHNC campus. Students will also connect with local companies that have environmentally friendly missions and can sponsor individual bikes. Working in design teams, students will display information about how those companies are “green” on bikes and will incorporate a learning demonstration on the bikes or rental stations. For example, as a learning demonstration, one bike may use a small generator or wind turbine to power small CFL or LED lights for safety. Project participants will use Stanford’s d.school design protocols (http://dschool.stanford.edu/our-point-of-view/) to ensure a practical solution to the need for these bikes.

For our pilot program, we will start small, with a goal of 10 lendable bikes distributed between two lending stations. Public relations, communication, and project management will all be required of the students to plan the logistics of the project and promote bike use to our school community. Funds from this grant will go directly to the acquisition of old bikes, and bike specific tools, as well as safety and security equipment like helmets and bike locks.  

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