Parkside Bike owner funds bike repair stations
LOUISVILLE, KY (WDRB) -- The owner of a local bicycle shop wants bikers to have a safe and enjoyable ride. He's paying for bike repair stations in two local parks.
Louisville resident Ben Botkins is passionate about cycling. Four years ago he opened Parkside Bikes on Bardstown Road in the Highlands. Business has been good. "The growth is incredible," he says.
So he says he wants to give back to the community. Working with the city, he is spending several thousand dollars of his own money to put up repair stations at Waterfront Park next to the Big Four Bridge and in Seneca Park.
"The concept is that if cyclists have a flat tire or something loose on their bike," he explains, "they can pull up to the station and fix it themselves and save their ride and move on."
The repair stations have the latest in modern technology. "If cyclists need additional help," he says, "they can actually scan a bar code on the side of the station and that gives them tips on how to repair their bike."
Botkins says cycling continues to grow in popularity in the Louisville area. He says, "It is a perfect storm, more people are commuting, they want to get in 30 minutes of exercise on the way to work."
Botkins is continuing to work with the city and hopes to open additional repair stations in several other Louisville parks. "For me it is my interest, my passion," he adds, "it is a way I can connect with the community and meet a lot of people and share something that we all enjoy."
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