This summer, Parking & Transportation Services (PTS) is assessing ways to encourage and accommodate faculty, staff and student cyclists, as part of an overall strategy to promote alternatives to bringing autos to campus.
a.jpg)
Covered bike racks, tax credits for cyclists, more bike lockers and a campus center where parts and repairs could be available will be studied, says PTS Executive Director David Miller.
“We’re trying to keep the demand on parking under control so we don’t have to keep building parking structures all over the place,” Miller says. “We’re researching improvements to support bike commuters and will be looking to put some resources behind it. I want to earmark some parking funds to help fund biking facilities.”
That’s good news for U-M bicyclists, including Charles Reynolds, head of the Music Library in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He’s among a cadre of faculty and staff who already are dedicated bike commuters.
“It’s a great way to start the day and a nice way to wind down after work,” Reynolds says, adding he likes the exercise. “It’s partly environment-related but it’s also pragmatic. I didn’t want to pay for parking and still don’t.”
Rebecca Price, senior associate librarian, Art, Architecture & Engineering Library (who is married to Reynolds), says, “I like riding. It’s pretty quick, it’s good exercise, and it saves on parking costs and driving costs. It’s a lot nicer to feel the fresh air than to sit in a car or bus.”
Jonathan Rodgers, head of the Near East Division, U-M Library, commutes 10 miles, one way, from Dexter. The ride takes 35 minutes. “I save money on gas; I enjoy and need the exercise and I use the opportunity to train for longer Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society weekend rides,” he says. “It’s fun; and I arrive at work refreshed — of course after a shower at CCRB (Central Campus Recreation Building).”
Miller has been working with University Planner Sue Gott to coordinate improvements. “It’s not just about adding bike racks. It’s thinking about adding connectivity between campuses and thinking about the seamless integration of the campus with the community and improvements that are conducive to greater bicycle use,” says Gott, who on occasion rides a bike to work.
An example of such coordination is the university’s successful effort to create a bike path along Palmer Field, so cyclists don’t have to ride on Washtenaw Road. Gott says her department also worked with PTS to create a Web site where bike rack locations around campus are shown, and continues to work closely with Miller to coordinate a variety of facilities to meet user needs. University Planning also communicates with city government agencies to coordinate connectivity.
Miller says currently there are 4,000 racks or loops available on campus for bike commuters, and 21 bike lockers — mainly on the Medical Campus — each able to accommodate two bicycles. The locker cost is $5 per month.
Bike commuters say more covered bike racks would be welcome. “I’ve had to replace hubs, headset parts, etc. because of water damage and rust,” Rodgers says.
“One of the new things we’ve got planned as part of the Thompson Street parking garage addition is converting the old parking office to a covered bike-storage area,” Miller says, adding lockers to accommodate 50 bikes also will be added. MCards will be used to access the site.
Miller says building managers interested in more bike loops for locking can check the PTS Web site for information. Individual facilities managers can choose to pay out of their respective budgets or submit a funding request to the Office of Budget & Planning External Elements Design Review Committee.
“We’re also looking to a new federal law that would provide tax benefits of $20 a month for someone who commutes by bike regularly,” Miller says. Staff also will review the concept of a campus bike center. “It could be a university building where students or staff can rent bikes, or have their own bikes repaired, or repair bikes themselves on maintenance platforms,” Miller says.
Bike sharing, in which bikes are made available for use to get around campus, also is under review this summer, along with establishing shower/clean up facilities for bike commuters, Miller says.
