Work underway on a secure, locked bike shelter on the Tech campus to provide students with a safe storage option and easier access to the campus center.
Planning and Finance Senior Vice President Claire Stinson said the project is scheduled for completion this October. Stinson said the facility will require a student ID card for entry to ensure that only authorized users can access the stored bicycles.
“As we have updated our campus, a lot of the interior parking has been removed,” Stinson said. “We had way too much conflict between vehicles and students and so we have made the center of the campus more pedestrian friendly,” Stinson said. “And so I think having these alternative modes for students like the bikes helps them get around the campus that now is very walker-friendly but not so much vehicle-friendly.”
Stinson said the shelter is located in the most remote parking lot on campus, which is approximately an eight-minute walk from the main campus center. Stinson said students can park their vehicles legally with permits and then use their bikes to swiftly reach their classes. Stinson said the idea of a bike garage stemmed from the student body.
“That was one of the things that the students talked to me about was, you know, they would have to load up their bike at home in the mornings and bring it to campus,” Claire Stinson said. “Load it up in the afternoon, take it home, and so they suggested this as an alternative. That way they have a place to safely store their bikes and not have to haul them back and forth every day.”
Stinson said the facility is designed to accommodate both traditional bicycles and e-bikes. Stinson said the university also provides specific locations across the campus where students can charge their e-bikes.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Claire Stinson said. “Like I said, the students that I’ve talked to, which you know, I try to talk to a lot of students on campus, they seem to be very excited about it.”
Stinson said the project originated from regular meetings with a group of students from the Student Government Association who identified infrastructure pain points on campus. Stinson said the project has turned out to be larger than initially anticipated but continues to progress toward its fall deadline.
Stinson said the university expects the use of bicycles to expand as students take advantage of the new secure storage option.
