On May 3, the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC) held its second annual bicycle recycling event at the Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies. They encouraged people to donate gently used bikes to be refurbished and given to workers in Chester County who need reliable transportation. They collected 25 bikes during the event. TMACC’s executive director, Tim Phelps, played a key role in organizing and facilitating the drive.
“May is bike month, so (the drive) was another event we could do to help reduce trash in landfills, and to recycle (bikes) to individuals who could use a bike for transportation purposes,” Phelps said.
Phelps, the executive director of TMACC for the past 14 years, enjoys interacting with the community and spreading awareness about sustainable transportation. Phelps promotes various alternatives to cars, from bikes to taking public transport.
“My favorite part (of being director) is being out in the community,” Phelps said. “Meeting with people who want to see a better transportation environment so that it’s not just about cars; it’s about walking, taking public transportation, riding bikes and having safe access to doing all those things.”
Marsha Menendez, a volunteer for Bike Chester County — an organization that advocates for a safer bike and transportation environment in Chester County — hopes the donated bikes will offer workers a clean and affordable alternative to driving.
“It’s (TMACC) a great program where we can take bikes that can be reused and give them to people who can’t afford to buy them on their own or can’t afford to buy a car to give them a means of transportation,” Menendez said.
In the future, Phelps hopes to expand the drive to additional locations and enable more bikes to be donated.
“I would like to see (the drive) have multiple locations throughout the county for people to donate their bicycles,” Phelps said. “One could be in Great Valley, another further east or further north near the Phoenixville area.”
TMACC hopes to call attention to more sustainable forms of transport and wishes their bike drives provide people with better access to transportation. By supplying workers in Chester County with refurbished bikes, it hopes everyone can have environmentally friendly alternatives to driving.
“TMACC wants people to be more aware of biking and realize that biking is a transportation option,” Phelps said. “At the end of the day, what (TMACC) is trying to get is to save bicycles from going into landfills and to give people bikes so we can foster a community of biking.”
William Simon can be reached at [email protected].
Nolan Talley can be reached at [email protected].
