The League of American Bicyclists recently awarded N.C. State with the official honor of a “bicycle friendly” status.
N.C. State is the third UNC-System school to receive this status. The League of American Bicyclists has also recognized the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
David Crye, assistant director for Outdoor Adventures, explained the application process for this recognition.
“You have to apply for it, and depending on what kinds of programs you have, you can get awarded a status,” Crye said.
There are platinum, gold, silver and bronze ratings available in the program. N.C. State is currently at the bronze status, but according to Alison Carpenter, planner for University Transportation, this could eventually change.
“[This recognition] sort of sets a goal for the University to become more bicycle-friendly,” Carpenter said.
After submitting a detailed application that includes a comprehensive list of all programs offered to bikers, the evaluation is completed when a certified bicycle instructor visits and evaluates campus. The instructors that come are certified North Carolina residents.
The University already offers programs bikers can take advantage of, including campus biking tours, a class on fixing bikes at the Crafts Center and WolfWheels. Carpenter plans to add more in the future.
“Various things on campus are happening to support bikers. There’s a lot going on, it’s just that these things take time. Slowly, we’ll see improvements on campus,” Carpenter said.
Achieving this bicycle friendly status is beneficial for the University because it could bring more prospective students in, according to Carpenter. In addition to potential students, local Raleigh residents could also benefit from this new status.
“It’s a national recognition, and that’s a big deal. It’s one more reason why someone might want to come here and see what we have going on,” Carpenter said.
Biking has become a more frequent mode of transportation for many students, including Stephen Lindberg, a junior in art and design. Lindberg lives in an off-campus apartment and rides his bike to school in order to cut out travel time to campus.
“I live next to campus, so biking is my most convenient way to class,” Lindberg said.
While Lindberg does feel safe biking through campus for the most part, he admits to previously experiencing problems dealing with vehicles on campus. He was once struck by a car while traveling on Sullivan Dr.
“I think the main problem on campus is the drivers. They don’t understand bikers and they get upset even when we try to follow the law,” Lindberg said.
According to Lindberg, it is common to experience problems with cars when riding on Dan Allen Drive or anywhere on campus where one would ride in the street.
“I’ve had people in cars yell at me to ride on the sidewalk, which is ridiculous because that’s illegal,” Lindberg said.
Though he has experienced some trouble biking on campus, Lindberg maintains the University has done a good job of making campus accommodating for bikers.
“I really feel like the school does as good a job as it can,” Lindberg said.
Making campus more bicycle-friendly has been a top priority in the past year, according to Carpenter. University Transportation has been making efforts to bring bikes to the forefront of student transportation by adding new programs and creating conversation about biking.
Crye supports the effort to bring more biking to campus because of the sheer amount of people traveling through the area on a daily basis.
“It’s a great thing because there’s always a lot of people moving around on campus,” Crye said.
