What Universities Can Do to Encourage More Cycling
Guest post by Cyndi Laurenti:
A university isn't simply an institution of higher learning, but one that should aim to produce well-rounded citizens. For many schools this includes a greater emphasis on student wellness and social responsibility, which can be addressed by encouraging the use of bicycles among undergrads and PhD candidates alike. Universities that successfully promote cycling will find their campuses becoming more attractive to the student body even as the pollution produced by cars is reduced.
Promoting the use of bicycles requires universities to make bicycling a safe, convenient, and desirable mode of transport to students. A university that fails in any of these three areas will find their students reluctant to embrace bicycling. Conversely, universities with effective plans to encourage bicycle usage will find their students very receptive to a bicycling lifestyle.
Schools must ensure bicyclists can safely ride around campus without endangering themselves or others. The first and most important goal is to make sure bicycles can share the roads with cars and pedestrians. This is normally accomplished by having bicycle-only lanes and paths. In areas where that's impossible, bicycle lanes should be clearly marked and all students made fully aware of the rules of the road as they pertain to cyclists. Maps can be used to help students find bicycle-friendly routes.
In addition, safe bicycling requires the creation and enforcement of driving regulations, and immediate action against those who don't abide by them. An unsafe bicyclist, pedestrian, or driver can contribute to long-term reluctance among many students to bicycle. However, if they can see the administration takes safety violations seriously, students will become more confident about riding on campus.
Making bicycling convenient generally requires the placement of bicycle racks close to classes, dormitories, and dining halls. In addition, schools can provide heavy-duty locks to prevent theft or insure that all bike racks are observed by campus police, either in person or via CCTV cameras. Tufts University provides a bicycle registry service to make theft less likely.
Some universities make bikes available to students on a rental or even free basis. Edinboro University's “Green Bike” program allows students to make use of bikes while on campus for free. This allows students with limited finances to switch to bicycling while on campus, and encourages them to consider purchasing a bike for off-campus use.
Finally, schools should attempt to make bicycle use an attractive lifestyle. Stressing cycling’s contribution to the environment, students' social lives, and physical well-being can encourage students to make use of bicycles. These efforts can help make student biking a self-sustaining culture, as new students chose to adopt the practices of their bicycling classmates.
Events like Indiana University’s “Little 500” can call attention to the benefits of bicycling. Schools can also stress the financial benefits of bike ownership, especially given the generally high cost of parking permits for cars. In these ways, students come to see bike use and ownership as a natural and beneficial choice.
By encouraging bicycle use, universities can reduce campus congestion and pollution while encouraging healthy lifestyles among the student body. Doing so requires schools to focus on improvements in both the physical structure of their campuses and the adoption of policies to encourage bike riding. Both schools and students will find themselves reaping handsome rewards from adopting such bicycling-friendly policies.
What's Related