Introduction
The A.S. Bicycle Improvements Keep Everyone Safe (BIKES) is a place where passionate advocacy for bicycle safety and a clear voice for consideration of bicycles in campus planning come together.
Bikes & Pedestrians Meet
Planning Meeting
With an $88,000 budget each year, the student committee works to fund UCSB campus bikeway improvement projects and increase student, staff, faculty, and administration awareness and involvement with campus and local community bicycle system issues. Part of this work is to develop positive working relationships with campus administrators and faculty.
Bike to Work Day Breakfast at Henley Gate
Funded by a lock-in of $1.25 per quarter, BIKES provides substantial funding towards capital improvements and maintenance on and off campus. The goal is to make cycling as safe and attractive as possible so that people are encouraged to leave their cars at home and ride (see campus Bike Map). BIKES participants engage the community through outreach and active participation in campus planning and Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) meetings.
This year BIKES completed several projects.
More Parking at Music Building
On November 1, 2011 the BIKES committee approved $32,500 to expand the perennially overcrowded bike lot on the North side of the Music Building. Recent lot assessments showed that the lot, with 236 spaces was 134% over capacity. BIKES installed peak racks at the lot, which added 233 more spaces. The lot expansion took place over the first couple weeks of Winter Break and was completed before the Winter 2012 quarter started.
New Peak Bike Racks
Peak Racks for Physical Sciences Building North
Responding to request from Chemistry Department grad students, AS BIKES approved $5,000 to install peak racks at the Physical Science Building North.. This project was completed over winter break and was finished by the end of Winter quarter 2012.
Bike Gripes!
BIKES also hosts the much loved quarterly “Bike Gripes” in front of the UCen and the De La Guerra dining commons. Students are given the opportunity to fill out a survey to help the committee prioritize, which projects are most important to students. The survey is also available online at the BIKES website or click here.
Bike Tagging and Removal = More Parking for Everyone
Bike Tagged for Removal
In an ongoing effort to make sure as many spaces are available for day use as possible, BIKES also periodically tags bikes left in the bike racks for extended periods or abandoned. After sufficient time has passed, locks on these bikes are cut and bikes are then auctioned in a silent auction at the base of Storke Tower.
Bike Theft Awareness
Unfortunately, bike theft is an endemic menace in the campus and Isla Vista communities. BIKES works with local agencies to raise awareness of the problem so riders will make sure to lock their bikes securely and otherwise be vigilant. A video sponsored by the UCSB Restorative Justice program and produced by the Department of Public Safety is part of this larger effort.
BIKES Newsletter
As part of its outreach efforts BIKES publishes the online UCSB Bike News newsletter and provides a wealth of resources on the BIKES website. Committee members also stay in touch with other campuses and organizations to stay current on the latest in bike planning and management.
Resurfaced Bike Path
The results of all this work are readily visible around the UCSB campus and in the local community making UCSB and Isla Vista among the most bike friendly communities in the world.