UN Campus stop New bike service station opened
Bonn · The German Bicycle Club has opened a new bicycle service station at the UN campus. 90 percent of all bicycle repairs can be made at the station.
It happens to everyone, one is riding on a bike through the city and all of a sudden the tire goes flat. Of course, a pump and any repair tools are nowhere in sight. A new bicycle service station at the UN Campus is now in place to offer help.
On Friday morning, the Allgemeine Deutsche Fahrradclub (German Bicycle Club - ADFC) put the 1.60 meter high column into operation. "A bicycle in need of repair can be hung up here like in a professional bicycle repair shop. High-quality tools are attached to steel ropes and are available for making the repairs," says Bernhard Meier as he connects the valve to the pump. "A flat tire on a bicycle has often been the beginning of a long and agonizing scrap bike career.” The many bicycle remains found near train stations testify to this, says Meier. The second chairman of the ADFC district association Bonn/Rhein-Sieg directed his gaze to the manometer that was inserted at the side and used the foot pump. The air being let in gave the tire back its shape. "Our service station provides a remedy. A flat tire, a jammed chain or a rattling fender can be quickly repaired here," explains Meier.
Further bike repair stations are wanted
"It would be good if such stations were set up at all major bicycle parking facilities in the city," urges Carsten Heinrich. The ADFC activist submitted a funding application to the city. The repair station is said to have cost over 2,500 euros, including tools and installation. According to ADFC press spokesman Axel Mörer, the project was largely funded by the Committee for International Affairs and Science of the Federal City of Bonn.
The service station was built by Caritas Betriebs- und Werkstätten GmbH in Eschweiler. According to estimates by Caritas Betriebs- und Werkstätten (CBW), around 90 percent of all repairs to bicycles can be made at the service station. "The station also offers repair assistance for wheelchairs and strollers," said CWB employee Gita-Maria Sauri. "I am very pleased that the bike service station has created a drop-in place for cyclists, which makes cycling even more attractive, since in an emergency there is a centrally located facility for minor repairs," said District Mayor Brigitta Poppe-Reiners. The Green politician promised to speed up future applications concerning inner-city cycling. The ADFC also received support from the city planning office. "The station is a good service for cyclists and another building block on the way to promoting bicycle traffic in Bonn," Sonja Kemena said happily.
The ADFC Bonn/Rhine Sieg has over 6,500 cyclists in its club, and has already set up a bicycle service station at the Campus Klein-Altendorf of the University of Bonn in Rheinbach. A further one is to follow shortly at the Kall train station in the Eifel.
(Orig. text: Niklas Schröder / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)
