A few weeks ago,  an Adelaide Community Bicycle Workshop volunteer, ran a session on chains and gears. Participants  learned to use chain breaker tools. The workshop has 2 or 3 ; they were all in use; Don lent his personal multi-tool - to one of the visitors.

After the workshop, Don realised, the person he’d lent it to, had not returned it.

Don waited for a call or email  - nothing

Don mentioned it on the ‘mutli tools’ thread – still not returned.

  Don has been without it for over a fortnight now

That's not something that should happen, to people who volunteer at the Workshop... .   

So it’s time to say a few things, about people who borrow tools, and  don’t  return them when they should.  It  raises issues for the Community Bicycle Workshop. We lend out tools. Also for the cycling community. From what I hear, it's  common to be asked to lend tools - then for them not to be returned. Or for the owner, to have to go to a lot of trouble, to get them back.  That's not acceptable behaviour in my book. It  makes things harder for everyone. 

Most people are honest. They   intend to return things, but  have genuine difficulties –so  it’s perhaps a bit unfair to use the term “theft” at this stage. 

However, for the person who lends but doesnt get back -" theft" is what it can feel like. 

The principle: – if you borrow something – the responsibility is yours, to seek out the owner, and return it to him/her promptly.   

 Let’s say you borrow one of the Adelaide City Free Bikes. It is your responsibility  to return it;  It isn’t up to the City, to have to find you and ask for it back.

   It is  your responsibility  to take  it back to where you got it from.  It isn’t up  to the City, to  pick the bike up from you,  wherever you happen to be.  

You would not expect to take one of the City Free Bikes home, and keep it for 2-3 weeks...

With Adelaide City Free Bikes -  You would not expect to  keep the bike indefinitely. Or keep it until someone asks for it back. Or keep it until you happen to feel like returning it, whenever that happens to be. Same principle with tools, and the time works out like this. You borrow the tool when you actually need it; start that job immediately; and return it as soon as you have completed your work. Unless otherwise agreed.

Re  Community  Bike Workshop . The Workshop keeps a big stock of tools. A cyclist can turn up, and, with little fuss, be lent tools to do the job.   We lend based on trusting people - we trust they will respect the system and people; we trust they will do  right thing. So far, nearly everyone does.

I dont want to see the workshop,   having to get contact details and signatures from all visitors. Or having to charge deposits. Or having to check tools in and out, all the time.    But  if there is a risk of tools not being returned, or other property going missing, we may have to.

To finish, back to the multi-tool, that went missing. If you are the person who borrowed it:    just make sure Don gets it back, please?   Let Don or me know you have it. Drop it by the Workshop this Saturday. Postit to me  at 13 Mines Road Campbelltown  5074, in one of Australia Post’s plastic pre-paid envelopes.   A  small donation to Workshop funds  -a  blue one with Banjo Patterson and “$10” on it -   may help make amends ....