Juan Villa / The Collegian

Campus parking pass, $68 per semester. Gas, $3.67 per gallon. Going Green — priceless.

According to bicycle statistics data from the International Bicycle Fund, 10 percent of the U.S. population uses a bicycle or walks as a mode of transportation.

For most Fresno State students, riding their bicycles is not only a quicker way to get around campus, but is also inexpensive and environmentally safe, whether they think about it or not.

And, trying to find a parking space is next to impossible.

The priceless satisfaction of going green applies to the Fresno State students who choose to walk or ride their bicycles to campus.

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Her red bike sits on the balcony of her apartment next to her roommate̢۪s purple bicycle. Jenna Ruder, a junior kinesiology major, rides her bicycle to class everyday because she lives near campus, just off Barstow Avenue.

Her classes are far away from each other, so she finds it convenient to ride her bicycle to her other classes. Ruder said even if she lived further away from Fresno State she would still make the effort to ride her bicycle.

“Maybe if it was about two to three miles,â€Â she said. “But I do it more for the exercise and the gas slump influences me, too.â€Â

Ruder said she never really reflected about how she is making a positive impact on the environment.

“I never really thought about it, but I’m sure over time it will have an affect on the environment,â€Â Ruder said.

Her roommate, Mallory Breshears, a sophomore pre-psychology major, also rides her bicycle to campus for the same reasons as her roommate.

“My classes are so far apart,â€Â she said. “And, it’s good exercise.â€Â

Breshears sees the advantages to living close to campus, especially now, with gas prices at an all-time high.

“Hell yeah, gas prices influences me to ride my bike, rather than drive my car,â€Â she said.

Like Ruder, Breshears does not consider how the environment is affected by her decision to ride her bicycle, but finds parking her bicycle an easier misson than her car.

Senior Ben Musson, a music major, lives off Milbrook, which is two miles further away than Ruder and Breshears.

Musson said he rides his bicycle to campus because of its convenience, the high prices of gas and the lack of available parking.

“It’s easier because I can just park my bike two feet away from my class and not have to worry,â€Â he said.

Unlike Ruder and Breshears, Musson has thought about how riding his bicycle to campus is affecting the environment.

“My professor last year, who rides his bike to school, always talked about car pollution, so I definitely began to think about it,â€Â he said.

Musson does not believe he is doing much, but he thinks about it.

The University Police Department encourages the Fresno State community to be a part of the Red Bike Program, which is a cheaper and healthy way of commuting.

The Red Bike Program allows students, staff and faculty to participate in a program, which offers new and reconditioned bicycles for rental around campus or the city of Fresno.

To rent a new bicycle, there is a $55 deposit and the first semester is free. Each semester following is a $5 fee. A U-lock and a helmet are provided. Depending on the contract stipulations, people participating may receive a $50 refund.

Rental of a reconditioned bike is $15 with the same conditions. Personal bicycles can also be brought in, licensed by the State of California Department of Motor Vehicles and registered in the University Police Department system.

With this program, students and staff can save $68, money they would have spent on the expensive price of gas and actually reduce air pollution and traffic congestion.