Bicycles benefit many

By: Adam Himmelberger

Posted: 4/15/05

The student peddled frenetically, knowing full well class started in one minute. The Buckley to TLS haul for a class he hated was a painful trip, but at least biking made it go by faster.

Sure there was the high probability of getting hit by a student driver barreling down the road at 50 mph while on the cell phone or coming to a complete stop behind a crowd of pedestrians, but it was the only feasible route. The reality is riding a bike during the week on North Eagleville Road requires the agility of a mongoose and the maneuvering skill of Iceman to safely navigate the roads, sidewalks and cars.

I hate being late for classes, walking in while the professor has already started and feeling all eyes upon you while you shuffle distractingly to your seat. And like most freshmen, my first semester schedule was a slew of 8 a.m. classes and back-to-back classes on opposite sides of campus. So almost two years ago, before I came to UConn, I resolved to bring my trusty mountain bike along to cut down on travel time. Most teenagers ditched their bikes in favor of cars and I find it funny now looking back, dusting off my bike and pulling it out of the abyss that was our garage, thinking, "I'm going to college, I'm not 12 anymore." But alas, it proved a godsend my freshman year and got me to five classes in a row Friday mornings that were scattered throughout campus.

In urban areas and on college campuses everywhere, riding a bike is the quickest way to get around. However, this mode of transportation doesn't exactly have the most user-friendly environment here at UConn.

Wednesday, the UConn chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the EcoHusky student group sponsored a support ride for the UConn campus bike plan in hopes of changing that. The event was designed to garner support for the implementation of the cyclist-friendly improvements to the university infrastructure known as the UConn Bike Plan, the design project of three civil engineering students. According to UConn's Office of Environmental Policy's web site, the project's goals are to "demonstrate the demand and need for a bicycling plan for future campus planning" and "work to influence campus planners to consider developing a bike lane on roads, especially on new North Eagleville Road Extension." I should also add that raising the awareness of competition problems between motor vehicles, bikes and pedestrians is one of the goals and with all the fantastic student drivers we have here ignoring cross walks and speed limits, I think it is quite necessary.

A large campus like ours, with such high volume traffic congested in such a small area, warrants this consideration. The results of a survey taken last year by ITE project members were presented to the building and grounds committee in January and highlighted this growing interest. Possible ways offered by the survey to encourage bicycling and a safer means to do it on campus include developing a bike network consisting of roads, paths and lanes for bikes, the addition of numerous bike racks closer to buildings, overnight commuter storage and "free bike" loan programs. Out of the 2,105 respondents, a majority of them supported these improvements, all of which would greatly benefit the biker community. The survey showed if these improvements were made it would also encourage more people to take to their two wheels for traveling.

Currently the few bike racks near CLAS and the MSB area are insufficient and often overcrowded, as are most bike racks near dorms. Buckley is one of the few places on campus where students are able to lock their bikes up indoors and keep their investments protected from the elements. In addition to the betterment of present conditions for cyclists, there are a host of reasons why everyone should be on board for this plan.

First and most importantly, bikes provide an alternate mode of transportation to automobiles and coincidently cut down on traffic and energy consumption. With an oncoming oil crunch and gas prices skyrocketing, isn't it worthwhile for surrounding off-campus residents to bike to classes? So you sacrifice a few minutes of travel time, but you don't have to put up with parking tickets or the pains of parking at all for that matter. The other factor to take into consideration is exercise. Your workout for the day is complete and you managed to get somewhere in the process - talk about maximum efficiency. As a result of a greater number of people riding their bikes, we have reduced traffic, tackled obesity in America and solved the energy crisis. What next? Peace in the Middle East through mutual love of 10-speeds, baseball cards in spokes and the sound of bicycle bells? You could say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

While the road to a better biking experience is starting to receive the attention of students, faculty and staff alike, don't expect any immediate changes this semester. The seniors working on the plan will submit their master proposal to the Civil Engineer Department on April 26. From there it may be picked up by UConn's building and grounds or master plan committees for further review. Jeffrey LaMondia, one of the seniors working on the project, is optimistic about its future. "With more students getting on-board along with faculty and staff, it is becoming something the university can't ignore," he said.

If eventually approved by the university, the master bike plan would most likely be implemented along with any renovations or new construction that occurs. As the university looks to replace and expand its infrastructure, it will hopefully phase in the bike plan improvement.

It's easy to forget some people rely on their bikes for their means of transportation, but the support ride yesterday was a helpful reminder. UConn should look into adding these improvements with future construction as the benefit to the environment, our health and traffic issues would make up for the initial cost.

All I want to do is ride my bicycle and I'd like to ride it where I like.

Sources:
http://www.ecohusky.uconn.edu/CampusBikePlan.htm.