Coasting Through
Campus
Red Bike
program offers students an alternative to driving
Ryan
Tubongbanua / The Collegian
Numerous red bicycles fill the bicycle racks all over campus. |
By
Jennifer Palmberg
The Collegian
Fresno State’s Red Bike program offers an alternative method of
transportation to students looking for a way to avoid driving to class.
Walking, biking and driving are three common ways to get to class. Walking,
depending on where you’re walking from, can take a long time and
unless you’re an early bird, it could cause you to be late for class.
Driving is much faster than walking, but once you get to campus you have
to drive around until you find a parking space. That could take just as
long as if you had walked. Even the campus police advise drivers to arrive
an hour before class starts to locate a parking spot and avoid class tardiness.
But biking offers a means of transportation that’s timely and almost
guarantees you’ll find a parking spot near your class.
The Red Bike Program offers new or reconditioned bicycles that come as
either a one-speed or a mountain bicycle. Each red bicycle comes with
a safety helmet and a bicycle lock. The rental fee is $5 per semester
with a one-time $50 deposit for new bicycles or $15 deposit for old bicycles
that is refunded when the bicycle and equipment are returned.
“There are about 380 bikes in the program and as of right now there
are none available, they’re all checked out,” Melissa Perry,
student assistant with Parking and Transportation, said.
Perry said the bicycle program was expanded last year due to the high
demand for bicycles.
This program offers a way to avoid paying the $68 per semester for a parking
permit and will probably save students hundreds in gas money. Plus, it
is a great way to get exercise and cut down on traffic.
“The program is really popular,” Perry said. “A lot
of the foreign exchange students who are here for only a semester love
the program. They’ll rent a bike instead of getting a car to get
around.”
If you would prefer to use your own bicycle, but you need it licensed,
the University Police Department office located downstairs in the Student
Union can get it licensed. You can also get a license from theParking
and Alternative Transportation office located at 2311 E. Barstow Avenue.
Licensing is recommended because bicycles that are licensed are more likely
to be recovered if stolen. Unlicensed bicycles found are sold at auction.
To contact the Office of Parking and Transportation call 278-2950 (recording).
To find out more about the Red Bike program call 278-2277.
|
