Bike Share Programs Becoming Increasingly Popular on College Campuses
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 10.21.08
Bike Sharing Has Gone Global
Bike Sharing--programs that enable multiple users to rent bikes and return them at stations scattered around a city or campus--has truly gone global. We've seen programs in Seville, Paris, Mexico City, Montreal and Barcelona, to name a few. In the U.S., Washington, D.C. recently launched a program of its own, and Portland, New York City and other cities and campuses are looking into the idea. Now, in an effort to reduce the amount of cars--and parking lots--on college campuses, "colleges are setting up free bike sharing or rental programs, and some universities are partnering with bike shops to offer discounts on purchases."
Universities Have A Simple Reason For Supporting Bike Sharing
The reason is simple and practical: universities only have so much space and money to allocate to parking. What's more, no one wants to attend a university that is clogged with cars and traffic instead of ideas and interesting people. Granted, some of the programs, particularly the ones that let people use the bikes for free, have been "shutting down because of problems with theft and vandalism," but several universities are successfully implementing programs, while others are about to start up programs of their own.
For instance, Ripon College has invested $50,000 in a program where "200 Trek mountain bikes, helmets and locks were bought, and about 180 freshmen signed up for the program." Similarly, the University of New England handed out "out 105 bikes in the first week of school," with the result that "because of the program, only 25 percent of freshmen brought cars with them this year, officials said, compared with 75 percent last year."
Other universities, such as St. Xavier in Chicago, are moving in the direction of more computerized, sophisticated systems. Their system works as follows:
Students can wave their ID card over a docking port. The port is attached to a rubber tube, which can be used as a lock and opened by entering an access code. Students must enter the bike’s condition before it can be unlocked. . .The first 15 minutes are free, and users pay 60 cents for each additional 15 minutes, or $2.40 per hour. All 925 resident students automatically become members through their ID cards. The system was intended to be environmentally friendly, with solar panels powering the ports.
High fuel costs and the economic downturn will continue to force colleges and universities to lower costs wherever possible; finding ways to avoid building new parking lots, while at the same time creating a quieter, more welcoming atmosphere on campus, is definitely a win-win proposition. We can expect more universities to investigate and implement similar programs in the future.
Via: ::NY Times
More on Bike Sharing
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Waterloo Grad Students Win $25000 for Bike-Share Program Proposal
Higher Fuel Prices Increase Bicycle Sales (And Bike Sharing?)
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Hybrid electric bikes that are pedal assist would be the perfect solution for campus transportation as no one wants classrooms to smell like a locker room! I have been commuting on my IZIP electric bike (http://www.izipusa.com) for more then a year and it has changed the way I think about getting around. The family car only moves when long distances are involved.
"no one wants classrooms to smell like a locker room"
Because kids are going to be building jumps or racing on campus? Normal riding shouldn't make you stinky or sweaty.
Here at the University of Oregon our program allows a student to check out a bike for a term or a year with a deposit of around $65. When the bike, helmet, lock, and basket are returned the student gets their money back.
And the best part is that the bikes were all abandon on campus in years passed so there will always be the chance to add more to the program later.
@ my university, there is much traffic as well as in the surrounding city. The university itself has done a great job in creating additional bike racks for all of the riders, but the city itself really has not done much.
I attend the University of New Hampshire. Its my fourth year and right now we are having a huge bike rack shortage because so many more students are opting to bring their bikes to school. Kids are chaining their bikes to trees, railings, even buildings. It is a poisitve thing to see so many more students riding than driving, but the university needs to accomidate the increased intrests. These rent a bikes would be a great idea to even get MORE students to ride. I think its great!
I go to the University of Kentucky and we have a program called Wildcat Wheels. It was recognized by the NY Times as being one of the most innovative bike share programs in the country. All of the bikes are 100% recycled from campus. We take abandoned bikes that have become University property, strip them down of all parts, paint them yellow, and then rebuild them. There are semester-long checkouts and then 2-day checkouts.
I volunteer at the Wildcat Wheels bikeshop and am good friends with everyone who works there. I even built my single-speed from spare parts at the shop.