I do think every shop/program should be prepared to go mobile if money or politics does not allow a rentable/buyable space.
The streets/trails/parks are _public space_, ideal for public bicycle activity. You can go to the area in need, and post a schedule.
Bio bus is understandable, bike power ideal (then no license, registration, fuel and the demo power of biking a small shop has huge positive ripple effects). Parking a bikable rig on the street overnight brings up interesting 'legal' issues. In missoula, a trailer or vehicle must be registered to be left on the street- I'd fight that restriction if it arose though, since bikes have almost zero negative impact.
We have parked haywagons full of bikes on the streets for a few days with free parts and instructions for trailer building.
-Bob g, free cycles missoula
adam schwartz wrote:
We recently lost our physical workshop/classroom/storage space due to
the
economy and are considering the concept of going mobile. We already
developed a mobile bike shop based out of a landscaping trailer (photos attached), however due to a conflict with our previous partner
organization (the Univ of Maryland) and our main funder our mobile bike shop was
siezed
and its future is currently being negotiated by lawyers. Its really sad and ugly but we are committed to moving forward despite the loss. We have
now
formed our own 501c3 in incredible time and have fully terminated our
partnership with the university. Anyway, I wanted to hear about anyone who
has had success with a mobile bike program. We are currently
considering
using a biodiesel school bus to house our operations as cheap space is very hard to come by in the Washington DC area. Thanks for your input and
ideas.
-- Adam Schwartz The Renaissance Youth Bike Shop, ECO Inc. rideyourbicycle@gmail.com