Mind you, when you think of cities such as Vienna, Amsterdam, or Copenhagen, we undoubtedly still have a long way to go to make our cities truly bike-friendly.<\/p>\n
Pnimeet is open to all and sundry three evenings a week. (credit: Pnimeet Collective Bicycle Workshop)<\/p>\n
As an experienced, verily addicted cyclist who pedals thousands of kilometers a year, both in and between towns, I naturally support any initiative that encourages people to use what the Good Lord gave them to get from home to school, caf\u00e9s, the stores, meetings, etc. Pnimeet pushes people in the desired direction by providing cyclists with the knowledge and means to take responsibility for keeping their own two-wheelers in good working order.<\/p>\n
That obviates the financial hurdle that many may not have the means to negotiate \u2013 and it also enhances the entire travel experience, proffering the exhilarating feeling of independence it can offer. Imagine riding your way along a country road or down a street in downtown Jerusalem and suddenly noticing some mechanical dissonance. You then stop and adroitly, almost nonchalantly, fix the problem, remount, and carry on along your way \u2013 that is, if you don\u2019t need to replace one of the bicycle components.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no calling a bike store to check when one of the mechanics can repair your machine, taking valuable time out of your already rushed daily routine, and paying for the service to boot. And, if you do need a spare part, Pnimeet may be able to help with that, too.<\/p>\n
Fix \u2013 or build it yourself<\/p>\n
I recently popped down to the venture\u2019s Jerusalem branch, which operates from the grounds of the Experimental School in the lower reaches of Hillel Street, to see what they have laid on. I met two of the movers and shakers behind the project there, Nadav Bernard and Aki Melamed. At the time of my Monday evening visit, they were keeping gainfully employed applying a welding machine to an errant contraption and advising a couple of cyclists how best to go about attending to their carbon and metal steeds, ensuring that they were up to the job of getting them where they wanted to go.<\/p>\n
That is the crux of the Pnimeet ethos. It is not about providing the public with a repair service. The idea is to help cyclists obtain the know-how that will enable them to maintain their own apparatus, thereby hopefully taking a preventive rather than a corrective approach to bicycle ownership. That and offering them the use of a broad range of implements and parts to help them get the job done themselves. That, in fact, can also include assembling their own two-wheeler under their own steam.<\/p>\n
The latter activity is supported by Bernard and Melamed making periodic forays to neighborhoods around the city, picking up abandoned and disused bicycles and taking them back to HQ with the help of the municipality\u2019s Autozaza truck.<\/p>\n
I saw dozens of bikes, in various states of repair, in all shapes and sizes, lined up at Pnimeet waiting for someone to apply some TLC and make them roadworthy once more. Some came from close to home, others from farther afield.<\/p>\n
Cycling offers an abundance of benefits for cyclists and the environment, and cuts down on urban congestion. (credit: Pnimeet Collective Bicycle Workshop)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe collected bikes from the municipality parking lot, and from all over Jerusalem,\u201d Bernard explained.
Reclaim and renew<\/p>\n
The municipality is also on board the Pnimeet train. \u201cThey sometimes send us to a school or a community center, to present a workshop,\u201d Bernard noted. \u201cWe also collaborate with various sections of the municipality, such as the Social Sustainability Division. They support us and are happy to see us going about our business.\u201d<\/p>\n