Controversy ensues over bike program
After an hour of debate, those in attendance during Tuesday’s Borrow-a-Bike program public meeting agreed to divide into sub-committees to further research the program’s feasibility.
“I don’t really see, at this point, pushing Borrow-a-Bike,” Sean Damitz of the Utah Conservation Corps, said. “A lot of concerns have been addressed and I don’t really see surviving a pilot program if it’s going to get bad press and offend pedestrians.”
“We don’t want Borrow-a-Bike to poison the well for some of the other thing we’re trying to do,” Bob Bayn, associate director of network and computing services, said.
Committees were assigned to gather information on how to promote bike use on campus, obtain covered parking for bicycles and to look closer at university policies concerning bicycle use on campus.
Ideally, the Borrow-a-Bike program would allow Utah State University students and faculty the opportunity to commute around campus, free of charge, on a loaned bicycle.
But, some in attendance said there may be more hitches in the program than originally anticipated.
While Chief of Police Steve Mecham said USU Police, due to a lack of manpower, have quit enforcing the policy, it is still against university regulations for any bikes to be used on walkways during primary class times.
“Under current walkway policy, there should be no bicycles on campus during classes,” Bayn said.
Most in attendance said they agreed the policy was outdated.
In an effort to improve air quality, many in attendance said they would like to see more bicycles used as transportation in place of cars.
Improving bike lanes and covered parking for bikes might be a way of promoting bike use, Campus Recreation Director Kevin Kobe said.
“It would be nice if a road like 700 North had more planning in regards to bikes, more signage,” Kobe said.
Mecham said the university is looking into installing bike racks on the first level of the parking structure which is under construction west of the Taggart Student Center.
“It would be covered. It would be safe,” Mecham said.
Still, Director of Facilities Design Stanley Kane said there are safety problems with providing designated bike lanes.
“It provides a false sense of security for a biker,” Kane said. “If a biker needs to turn left, they still have to merge. It’s actually more unsafe.”
“As someone who walks, drives and rides a bike, I’d like to see less cyclists on the sidewalks,” he said. “If we’re going to promote more bikes, I’d like to encourage cyclists to use the road.”
Vaughn Heslop, a USU student, said, under Utah law, cyclists are required to yield to all pedestrians.
“Legally they’re not the same as pedestrians,” he said. “But, not in practice. I don’t want any bikes on campus, but we can’t get rid of them.”
Heslop said to operate a bicycle on campus, students are actually required to obtain a permit through parking services.
“How many people have done that,” Bayn asked. “Probably none.”
Safety of cyclists and pedestrians was another concern discussed in Tuesday’s meeting.
“I think encouraging bicycles is a good thing,” Juan Franco, vice president for student services, said. “But, the bigger issue for me is safety.”
Risk specialist Joe Dulin said during his undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, the school employed a system of bike-only paths.
“At first it didn’t work,” Dulin said. “Then the university hired three, full-time officers to patrol the paths.”
Dulin said he has seen the program continue success for more than 20 years.
Damitz asked the volunteer sub-committees to research their assigned topics and report back at the next Borrow-a-Bike meeting, which will be held at 3 p.m. on Nov. 11 in the Center Colony Room on the second floor of the TSC.
-acf@cc.usu.edu