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.