LSU Bike Week, a week-long celebration of cycling focusing on educating students on bicycle safety and laws, begins today. An initiative of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, Student Government, Environmental Conservation Organization and Baton Rouge Advocates for Safe Streets, Bike Week will commence with several bicycle-related events. A bike auction Wednesday morning in Free Speech Alley is among these events, said Cas Smith, SG sustainability director. Students will be able to bid on and purchase bicycles abandoned or impounded on campus. Cash will be the only accepted form of payment. “There will be a $10 starting price on the bikes,” Smith said. “A bad bike will obviously go lower in price, as some people only buy them for parts for their own bikes.” The money earned from the auction will go to SG, said Gary Graham, Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation director.”It’s a great cooperative effort to put money back toward bikes,” Graham said. A “Spoke-Speak” event featuring Graham, Jason Soileau, Facility Development assistant director, and Brad Silva, Facility Development manager, will also be held Wednesday to discuss Easy Streets Phase II, which will include new bike lanes and racks. Smith said there will also be a letter-writing campaign to send to LSU System President John Lombardi on Wednesday during the bike auction and Spoke-Speak. “We want to write letters to Lombardi that say, ‘Hey, I ride a bike — not a sports car,'” Smith said. A “Commute From Campus” ride showing students recommended routes from campus to area neighborhoods will be offered Tuesday evening, said Moshe Cohen, mathematics graduate student and member of B.R.A.S.S. LSU committee. “It’s an opportunity to connect riders who live together,” Cohen said. “You’re more visible and comfortable when there’s two bikes riding together. These rides help people meet each other and point out safe routes and dangerous intersections to one another.” The LSU Bikes Web site was also unveiled today, Smith said. The Web site features pages on bicycle care and maintenance, a buyer’s guide and a Google Map with bicycle routes. “It’s a new thing,” Smith said of the Web site. “It’s cool LSU is the forefront for bicycling.” Bike Week was held off and on for several years but became an annual event when student interest started to build up, Graham said. “We’ve had the bike auction for 30 years,” Graham said. “That’s nothing new, but we’ve been working to get the word out about bike safety. It’s becoming a more important issue since we’re getting more and more bike riders.” But Cohen said Bike Week is not just about educating students about laws and safety. Bike Week is also celebrating the many accomplishments made toward biking at the University and in Baton Rouge.”People think New Orleans is a big bike town, but the League of American Bicyclists recently designated Baton Rouge as a bike-friendly town,” Cohen said. “Baton Rouge is the only city in Louisiana with this recognition. It’s really good for the state.”————Contact Brianna Paciorka at [email protected]