Record 176 Bikes Donated To Low-Income Residents In Montgomery Co

ROCKVILLE, MD —A record 176 old or unused bicycles were collected in Rockville last month to help support low-income residents in Montgomery County.

On Friday, Oct. 18, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) hosted a bike collection event in which residents could donate bicycles or bicycle parts and accessories.

The donations go to Rockville Bike Hub, a nonprofit organization whose volunteers fix up bikes and then gives them to low-income residents during the holidays.

"Some people brought bikes that are from under their deck that have been sitting there for years, and other people have brand new bikes and sometimes they just never been used. Maybe they bought them and intended to use them, but they just never did. So we've gotten brand new bikes and a lot of bikes that need a lot of repair or can only be salvaged for the parts," Rachel Thomas, a MCDOT employee, told County Report This Week.

MCDOT first launched the event three years ago. In 2017, 100 bicycles were collected, according to officials. Last year, 120 bicycles were donated.

This year, MCDOT set a record: 176 bicycles.

"Elementary school kids in the city of Rockville do six good deeds as part of their community service. They get a certificate from the mayor and council at the first council meeting at the beginning of May and the third Sunday in May they get a bike from us," Steve Andruski, a founder and current president of Rockville Bike Hub, told WDVM.