Locked to a rack west of the Union Theatre eight gold-painted bicycles caught the attention of passersby. These are the first of the Gold Bikes, a new program that aims to provide students with a way to quickly move around campus without polluting the air. The program is being designed and implemented by the Environmental Conservation Organization. Co-President Rachel Guillory, German and international studies junior, said ECO is dedicated to environmentalism at the University by promoting alternate methods of transportation. The Gold Bike program will give students access to a pool of community bicycles, which can be used across campus. The program will initially launch in trial form requiring registration to access the bikes. The trial will allow ECO to determine if the program is viable and can later be expanded to include more bicycles. Through registration ECO members hope to receive constructive feedback from program participants. “The system’s going to design itself to some extent,” said Cameron Walker, ECO member and international studies senior. If the pilot program is successful, ECO members said they plan to present the results to Student Government and the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation. SG will provide financial support to expand the program if the results are positive, Guillory said. “Student Government has been really supportive,” Guillory said. ECO members said they hope to provide convenient and environmentally-friendly options to students as transportation conditions on campus change. ECO works with the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation to develop its initiatives and operate within the University’s Master Plan. “We’re here to give them the student voice,” said Guillory. Registration for the pilot program will be held tonight at the presentation of “An Inconvenient Truth” in the Howe-Russell main auditorium sponsored by ECO and Hillel, a Jewish student organization.
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]