REGINA — When Joe Cossette, a welding and metal fabrication instructor at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, received a cold call from Bike Regina to see if his students could help build some bike racks, sparks began to fly.
“Partnerships, like the one we have with Bike Regina, provide students with practical learning experiences that are similar to what they will experience in the workforce,” says Cossette. “This Bike Regina project helped build students’ confidence in their abilities to adapt to different aspects of manufacturing a product and allowed students to use the skills they learned throughout the year for a project that will make an impact in the community.”
Over the course of two months, 13 Fabricator–Welder certificate students manufactured 30 bike racks based on technical drawings provided by Bike Regina. “Students processed the raw materials, developed a plan for fixturing and created a small assembly line to complete the fitting, welding and post-weld processing such as sanding and cleaning. This project perfectly aligned with our curriculum for the year,” says Cossette.
Brandon Wright, a Bike Regina board member, encourages cyclists to lock their bikes with a U-lock or D-lock. The technical drawings Wright created for Sask Polytech are designed specifically for these types of locks. “Regina needs more bike racks around the city to provide cyclists a safe and secure place to lock up their bikes. Working with Sask Polytech we were able to produce quality racks at a cost-competitive price as we only had to pay for materials. It’s great to have something locally made to support cyclists in the community. Through this bike rack project, we are supporting Regina’s cyclists, local businesses and students in their learning journey.”
One of the Fabricator–Welder courses focuses on value-added thinking. In support of this students created a metal Bike Regina logo to add to the bike racks with a CNC plasma cutter. “The custom logo is a nice touch,” Wright shares. “We look forward to future collaborations with Sask Polytech. The CNC will allow us to create custom logos for local businesses interested in purchasing bike racks in the future.”
“We are very happy with the quality of the bike racks. The students produced 30 bike racks; 20 of the bike racks are for the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District (RDBID). We have sold two bike racks and have eight available for purchase,” says Wright.
Bike Regina is a small, non-profit, advocacy group that is actively working to raise the profile of cycling in the Queen City, including better bike infrastructure. Learn more at bikeregina.org.
— Submitted by Regina Polytech Media Relations
