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As the Danville Town Council approved plans to improve bicycle parking in the downtown area earlier this month, a San Ramon Valley High student was finishing his own project to make the school more bike-friendly.
Part of his Eagle Scout project, 16-year-old Jonathan Adams built and delivered portable bicycle racks for San Ramon Valley High’s environmental club (E2), the Danville Area Chamber and Discover Danville Association. The high school freshman built the racks, which can house over 200 bikes, with members of Troop 815 over two days in January and February.
“I was inspired to build these portable bike racks as my Eagle Project because I am a very avid cyclist. I am a currently riding on the San Ramon High School Mountain Bike team and ride a lot,” Jonathan said. “I often bike down town and always have difficulty finding a place to lock my bike. I wanted to create a bike rack that could be used at weekend street fairs and then could be moved and used at other events.”
The town’s plan would replace existing bicycle racks and construct new ones to increase capacity downtown from 121 spots to 215, allowing Jonathan’s racks to supplement parking during street fairs and bike-to-school days.
“I also bike to school daily and on the bike to school days all the bike racks get crowded and fill up fast. The portable bike racks can be used at the street fairs and bike to school days. When the event is all over, they can be disassembled and put away,” he said.
In the past, bike-to-school events were only possible with donations from Heritage Bank to help fund rentals of additional racks and fencing, said SRVHS environmental science teacher and E2 advisor Cindy Egan. Biking days attract an average of 200 students and teachers each time, she added.
The Chamber of Commerce, Discover Danville and Sustainable Danville Area hope to partner with local Boy Scout troops and other non-profits to organize bike stations for this summer’s downtown festivals. Sustainable Danville’s Cynthia Ruzzi noted that, if the organization manning the portable rack station put out a tip jar, bike parking could become a fundraiser.
“We’ll be working to encourage residents that instead of dealing with parking, they can some down and ride their bike and have a nonprofit manage that bike station,” she said.
Although Jonathan aimed to serve the community with his Eagle Scout project, local businesses played an integral role in getting the racks off the ground. In addition to materials donations from Heritage Bank, Jonathan received donations from Chow Food and Bar, California Pedaler, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Consignit Couture and Gayler Construction, among others.
After some delivery delays, the bike racks were given to SRVHS in February, Jonathan’s father, Harold, said. The school is still in the process of scheduling upcoming bike-to-school days.
“The hardest part of the entire project was making sure everyone was kept busy and had a job to do. I learned a lot from this project. The first thing I learned is that planning makes things go smoother. I also learned how to manage people doing different tasks and keeping them on track,” Jonathan said.
While Jonathan’s portable bicycle racks are ready to go, the town of Danville is still in the process of applying for grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to fund its new, permanent racks.
That’s awesome! So impressed whenever I see a young man who has reached Eagle Scout status.
Our community should applaud these young men, their parents, troop and troop leaders who give back so much to our town. Thank you to all those who stand behind and support these boys.
An excellent project Jonathan, thanks for helping make Danville a better place to ride our bikes. I’m looking forward to trying them out at the next street fair.