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University of Oregon launches bike loan programOct 14, 2008 (The Register-Guard - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- With funky fenders and some extra funds, the University of Oregon's Outdoor Program seems to have found a fresh fix to an age-old problem: converting the campus' abandoned bikes into a fleet of one of the state's only bike loan programs. With on-campus parking slim and gas prices high, the program is turning heads. In the first few weeks of the term, students quickly scooped up the program's 30 bikes, and 80 more are waiting for a chance at their own set of wheels. "Using the program, you just see how much having a bike comes in handy," explained Bjorn Brown, an economics major from Toronto. "Before, I sort of thought bikes were for kids and teenagers, but now I think I'll definitely be riding after I graduate." Although the pilot program is starting small, it could have a big impact in Eugene. City officials are keeping tabs on the project as it develops, and say they think it could serve as a model for a citywide bike-share program. Deeply passionate about the two-wheeled appeal of sustainable commuting, UO junior Briana Orr helped shift the program into gear last spring, when the Outdoor Program received $18,000 from the Associated Students of the University of Oregon to start the program. PowerBar followed, with a $5,000 grant that helped Outdoor Program director Dan Geiger hire a three-member staff and get the long-anticipated program -- one of about 45 in the nation -- off the ground. Since then, most of that money has gone to grease the wheels of the fleet, composed of abandoned bicycles that the Department of Public Safety scavenges each term. With a little work, the bikes are soon ready for the road, and equipped with lights, bright yellow fenders, baskets, locks and donated Nutcase Helmets from Portland. "Right now, DPS has about three storage containers full of bikes they're saving for us," said Geiger. "We're basically just trying to catch up." After the bikes pass through the hands of the program's two mechanics, students pay a $65 deposit intended to safeguard against theft then pedal away with a long-term loan. They can keep the bike for a term or the whole year. The idea, says Orr, is not just a short-term fix for the school year. Eager to equip riders with tools to make them lifetime cyclists and commuters, staff has partnered with Eugene-area cycling groups to offer "Street Skills" classes, riding workshops and maintenance classes. "It's really important to us that this is something they'll be able to carry into adulthood," the 20-year-old explained. "Half the battle is just getting people on bikes and out there doing it." A transportation study conducted in 2006 showed that just 15 percent of students who live off campus bike to class. It's a number Orr thinks is likely rising because of the cost of fuel, and hopes the Bike Loan Program will give students who can't afford a bike an alternative to driving to campus. "My friends who try to park on campus are circling forever," she said. "It's not just expensive -- it's frustrating." Brown, a junior, says he's cut back on riding the bus since he received his bike a few weeks ago. "It's so cool how efficient it is," he said. "You're not consuming anything, and you're not using any oil -- all it takes is some perspiration. It's great." All too aware of the university's limited parking, University of Oregon's director of sustainability, Steve Mital, says the Bike Loan Program is a perfect fit on a campus looking to boost the numbers of students using alternative modes of transportation. The city of Eugene has similar goals, and associate transportation planner David Roth said it's likely the UO program could serve as a launch pad for broader-based efforts. "Bike sharing is something we're seeing become popular in larger cities, and a great concept," he said. "It's something we'll continue to look at and see if it would be feasible in the community." Roth says he sees the city's well-developed bike networks as a strength in developing a bike program, but worries about the lack of density that centers the majority of urban bicycle commuting and bike-share efforts. For now, he says he'll be keeping an eye on Outdoor Program's efforts, eager to see how the first year of loaning pans out. With a waiting list that just keeps growing and a renovated bike space that's getting heavy use, Geiger says he and his staff are onto something. "Already, we're seeing huge demand for this," he said. "It's a whole new exciting direction for us -- you look around and you see it's more than just bike loans, it's becoming a bike center for the entire community." To see more of The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.registerguard.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |