Recovered bikes MHPS (Chat News file photo)

By Chantal Wagner

back on the road

A positive spin for unclaimed bicycles with new donation program

Dec 29, 2020 | 11:13 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A community partnership with the city, police, and the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat, will help get bikes out on the street to those who need transportation

According to police, about 150 bicycles are reported stolen every year in Medicine Hat.

Many of these bikes remain unclaimed and are then sold through a public auction with the proceeds directed to the city.

Now, some of these unclaimed bikes will get repaired by Rotarians through the donation program. The project was approved by the city.

WHAT'S ON

Here is what's on this weekend in Medicine Hat and area: Dec. 13-15

3h ago

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat's Mustard Seed adding new shelter spaces at Alberta government's request

23h ago

HOLIDAYS

Medicine Hat Kiwanis hosting Christmas dinner, applications due Friday

Dec 12, 2024

Inspector Brent Secondiak says there is definitely a need for bikes for some of the social agencies in town.

“We wanted to find a way to take some of the bikes we seize and hold at MHPS and give them back to other people in need with really two goals. One to provide transportation to those who need it and secondly with the hope to decrease some of our deaths of bicycles in the community,” Secondiak said.

The Rotary Club reached out to police a few months ago to get behind the community-based initiative.

“The deal is that we’re going to try and get about 30 bikes every quarter and we’ll fix them up ourselves,” Rotary member Peter Mueller said. “The club members will fix the bikes up, new tires, tubes, handlebars, or whatever is needed and make them roadworthy and make them available first to the Salvation Army, but maybe other organizations in the future.”

Mueller hopes to have this batch of bikes out by the end of January. He thanks Gravity Sports for providing bike parts and support.

The club was also thinking about having a couple of bikes available at the Library to rent out as if they were books to borrow.

The donated bikes will also be registered under MHPS Bike Index program which was launched in September this year.

Bike Index is a non-profit, online bike registry to prove ownership, alert the community if a bike is stolen, search a found bicycle, and help police return recovered bikes to their owners.