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University of Tulsa: Bike Program: Pedaling a Solution: TU Leaders Hope an Army of 300 Yellow Bikes Can Help Get Students Out of Their Cars

Posted on: Monday, 19 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By April Marciszewski, Tulsa World, Okla.

Jun. 19--In the American culture of convenience, cars rule.

Zoom in on the University of Tulsa, and see students who live on campus hop in their cars and drive to classes just a few blocks away.

Forget about walking or biking -- driving is the first thing that crosses their minds when they are late to class.

TU leaders are fighting back with bicycles. Three hundred to be exact. Hurricane yellow, with TU decals, packaged with helmets and "The Ultra Bike Club" locks.

TU students and employees think their campus does not have enough parking, although the real problem is they do not want to park at the Reynolds Center, farther from classes, says Kevan Buck, vice president for business and finance.

So this fall, security officers will check out the bikes for a "nominal" fee to students on a first-come, first-served basis, Buck says. Campus residents will have the bikes for the entire school year.

Buck envisions less traffic on the short campus streets and less competition for the elusive parking spaces.

"I hope it goes over big," he says.

Four students around a campus lunch table raise doubts: Will 300 bikes merely clutter campus? Without bike lanes, is the campus safe for cycling? Would pedestrians and riders collide regularly?

Joel Stansloski does not think the bike program addresses the driving problem.

"The people who drive are still going to drive," says Stansloski, a history junior.

His friend Renine Letterron, a psychology senior, blushes when she admits to driving around campus. She drives when she is tired, and she drives because she already runs about 60 miles a week for the track team.

Logic does not play into information systems technology senior Nick Fajardo's occasional decision to drive to class. He curses when he wakes up late, and then he scoots to his car. He also will drive when he has to run errands off-campus after class.

With parking difficulties, he probably would save time by walking, he says. Fajardo recognized his driving problem and bought a bike for his campus transportation.

Sarah Beeson, a musical theater sophomore, applauds the bike program. When her peers drive to class, she chides them, saying, "Come on, kids. You have two good legs. Use them."

Calvin Moniz, Student Association treasurer, hopes the bikes solve transportation and crime problems.

Between January and April, nine bikes were stolen -- an increase from previous semesters, says Joe Timmons, director of campus security.

Moniz says thefts rose because students were bringing expensive mountain bikes to campus. Now, the cyclists will be able to check out the ubiquitous yellow bikes and leave their own at home.

The bikes also will help as TU builds housing farther from the core of campus, as new buildings eclipse parking lots and as new lots are added to the perimeter -- instead of the interior -- of campus, Timmons says.

Citywide, people are riding bikes more, says Chris Zenthoefer, chief executive officer of local design and technology firm New Medio. Zenthoefer bought his employees commuter bikes, with bells and reflectors, for Christmas and helped organize this month's Tulsa Tough bike races.

He thinks local companies are growing hip to the health benefits of riding. He also says younger people are more accepting of "new" ideas, such as cycling, which is already big in West Coast cities and in countries around the world.

Moniz plans to introduce TU's bicycles to freshmen first. If they see cycling as cool, he says, they could change the culture of laziness.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Tulsa World, Okla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Tulsa World

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