Congratulations to our Scarborough Cycles partner, Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, on opening the Lawrence-Orton Bicycle Repair Hub!
When we first partnered with this community health centre in 2015, Access Alliance had no prior bicycle experience. With funding from the Metcalf Foundation, we worked with CultureLink Settlement and Community Services, Cycle Toronto and the Cycling Think & Do Tank, to open a community bike hub at their AccessPoint on Danforth location.
That hub has been a huge success. In the three years since it opened, staff and volunteers have repaired over 2,000 bicycles, led over 1,000 people on rides, and trained over 200 people in cycling skills. Participants report not only greater confidence cycling, but also a greater sense of community belonging and better health.
It’s great to see Access Alliance acting as the bike experts in Scarborough now. And as a result of a new partnership with the City of Toronto’s Tower and Neighbourhood Renewal and Solid Waste Management, Access Alliance was able to open up this new hub in a Toronto Community Housing building and expand community bike services even further east in Scarborough. Visit the Scarborough Cycles website to see more photos.