To see a video about the new bike racks, click here.
Joshua Roberts crams his bike on overcrowded bike racks almost every day and fears it will get damaged. The construction management senior said he has noticed an increase in the number of bikes on campus since his freshman year.  Roberts was not the only one to notice the increase.Thirty bike racks were added to campus last year, and another 30 will be added this year, said Gary Graham, director of Parking, Traffic and Transportation.”Student Government approached us about a week ago to discuss bike racks,” said Graham.The request was made in accordance with student requests and apparent overcrowding near campus buildings, such as Tureaud Hall and Coates Hall, said Colorado Robertson, Student Government president. The new bike racks are necessary for several reasons, Graham said. “It will be to keep [cyclists] out of the Quadrangle and to have an area for cyclists to gravitate to secure their bikes.” he said. “It is also not a good idea to secure bikes to trees.” Various areas will be assessed this week to determine where the new racks will be placed, Graham said. “There may not be any problem areas, but there are areas that need the racks,” he said.Graham estimated the last installment of bike racks cost about $30 a piece, but the cost for the new racks is still uncertain. The racks will be funded by the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, which includes student and faculty fees, parking tickets and any other fees that go through the office. In 2006, the University Student Recreational Complex established a bike rental program with the help of SG, which allows students to rent bikes free for two hours. Easy Streets inspired the bike rental program, according to Tamara Jerrett, UREC director of Core Administration.”When I was the president [in 2006], I sent a letter to student services-based departments on campus and asked if they would like to start any programs that would be beneficial to students,” said Chris Odinet, former SG president. “The UREC responded and sent me a funding request for a program that would allow students to rent bikes for free.”UREC used the money to purchase 10 bikes, and Robertson said he is also planning on allocating funds for 10 additional bikes, which will cost $3,000. “The program grew significantly in usage to the point that it was clear the fleet needed to grow in order to accommodate demand,” Jerrett said. Jerrett said the two free hours are to honor the support and funding provided by Student Government.
—-Contact Aimee Effler at [email protected]