If you could do it, would it be a good thing to have affordable and eco-friendly transportation at the University? We are trying to answer this question for a class project.
At its core, it seems like a good idea to take responsibility as a community for our carbon footprint and to bring the University to the forefront of sustainable transportation development. This is why we are exploring the idea of a University bike system as a complement to the existing transportation network.
The system is essentially ZipCar for bikes: by using their University IDs, U.Va. students, faculty, and staff can check in and check out bikes from self-locking bike racks, or “hubs,” conveniently placed around Grounds. For example, a first year could check out a bike at his dorm, ride to central Grounds, and check in the bike at a different hub near the library. Or, instead of driving, a Darden professor could bike to a meeting in the Rotunda.
This is a cutting-edge and complex idea. If it were easy, it would have already have been implemented. Giving away free bikes to the community to use at will obviously won’t work here — case in point: the City of Charlottesville’s own Yellow Bikes. This is a completely different idea.
We are interested in “fifth generation” bike systems characterized by revolutionary technological developments and proven success models. These bike systems have bikes that are specifically engineered to be theft-proof and ultra-durable. They are linked to ID cards, so they offer greater accountability. The hubs are solar-powered and come equipped with bike tracking mechanisms to monitor bike traffic. You can even check online how many bikes are at each hub location to plan your route ahead of time.
Before getting into logistics, however, we need to figure out if this idea is right for the University. Currently we are in the fact-finding stage, still trying to establish demand and understand the opinions of everyone on Grounds. We are presently distributing a survey for this purpose.
We still have a lot to explore. We are in the investigative phase of this project and therefore not seeking funding at this time. Our course is about asking a transportation question and going through the research process to answer it. We are not proposing to use University funds for this project at this time. Several offices within the University have been kind enough to give us feedback, but they have not approved our idea in any way. The support we have obtained from the University is not an indication that a University bike system has been finalized.
The most exciting part of this project is bringing together all the offices and resources of the University to engage in an open dialogue about biking, transportation, and sustainability. We hope to hear everyone’s opinion in our survey and to find out if a bike system is right for the University.
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