and Elaine Schaefer and John Wolfe representing Schuylkill River Greenways
POTTSTOWN PA – The non-profit Hobart’s Run neighborhood initiative has joined the Schuylkill River Greenways and Bike Pottstown in adding its office, at 856 E. High St., to the list of locations where Pottstown residents can borrow bicycles at no cost.
Since its official launch in 2016, Hobart’s Run has sought ways to facilitate bike access and safety in Pottstown. It organized community bike rides in 2016, and launched the pilot Mobile Ambassador Program in 2017. Now, as Hobart’s Run Executive Director Twila Fisher said Thursday (March 30, 2023), “we are thrilled” to partner with Bike Pottstown and Greenways as a Bikeshare access point.
With the addition of Hobart’s Run, which intends to serve the neighborhood and the east end of the borough, Bikeshare now has three access points. “Connecting communities to the Schuylkill River Trail and the Schuylkill River is our mission, and this added location will be yet another resource for the Pottstown community,” Greenways Executive Director Elaine Schaefer agreed.
The announcement also comes with what residents may think of as a surprise. The program’s aging yellow bicycles are gone, and have been replaced by new, bright-blue bikes that are 7-speed, unisex step-through Fuji models, Greenways Deputy Director Tim Fenchel explained. The change makes riding the trail, or to and from borough locations, “extremely accessible for all types of riders,” he said.
Bikes generally can be checked out at the Hobart’s Run location Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. Hours may be extended during the summer, based on interest from the community in the location.
When the Hobart’s Run bike share is operating and a bike is available, the staff will place a bike in front of its office. Potential users can simply knock on the Hobart’s Run office door to sign out a bike. Riders must be age 16 and older, and provide a photo ID to check out a bike. Helmets and locks also are available.
The Greenways and its recreation partner, Take it Outdoors Adventures, are the current stewards of the Bike Pottstown program. In addition to Hobart’s Run, bikes are available weather-permitting weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Greenways office in Riverfront Park, 140 College Dr.
During the summer period from Memorial Day to Labor Day, bikes can also be borrowed at the Take it Outdoors HQ. Look for shipping containers with a colorful mural near the entrance of the Schuylkill River Trail in Riverfront Park.
Bike Pottstown was founded in 2008, through a collaboration of local non-profits Preservation Pottstown (now the Mosaic Community Land Trust) and the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation. Start-up funding was provided by from Exelon (now Constellation Energy) and the Pottstown Police Officers’ Association.
Top photo by Alesia Kazantceva on Unsplash
Other photos provided by Schuylkill River Greenways
