Spring has arrived.
While petals are blooming, Western students are pedaling their way to and from campus every day, often instead of driving.
“It’s definitely the best way to get to campus without being late," said Ryan Askey, an employee at Western’s Outdoor Center Bike Shop. "It takes me five minutes to get to class."
Ellen Barton, manager of EverybodyBike, a program designed to promote bicycling through education, encouragement and events, said Bellingham has a head start on increasing the number of people who ride bikes instead of driving because the city is an environmentally conscious community.
“At 2.8 percent, we rank among the highest in the nation for percentage of trips made by bike,” Barton said. “But in comparison to places like the Netherlands, where 30 percent of all trips are made by bike, our numbers are abysmally low.”
On May 16, Bellingham will participate in Bike to School and Work Day.
Since 2000, Western has helped celebrate this county-wide event by handing out prizes to participants at celebration stations on campus.
This year’s celebration station will be located under the bike shelter between Carver Gym and Bond Hall.
The shelter, which was designed by a former Western student, is a physical representation of the university’s commitment to the environment through bicycling, said Carol Berry, Western’s sustainable transportation program manager.
A sustainable, environmentally sound campus is one of Western’s most important goals, and reducing the amount of trips made to and from campus by car is an important part of that goal, Berry said.
While some trips do require a car, paying attention to one's choice regarding modes of transportation is important, she said.
Many people live close enough to campus that walking or biking is just as easy as driving.
“The bicycle is the most efficient form of transportation ever invented,” Berry said. “You burn fewer kilocalories per mile than any other mode of transport, and there is no waste involved.”
Askey said spring is one of the best times for biking.
“If it’s raining out, no one comes into the shop,” Askey said. “But when it’s nice out, we fill up with people needing help with their bikes.”
The Outdoor Center provides services to students such as bike repair, tune-ups and equipment rentals.
The center also offers guided outings to students showing them the best places for bike riding in Bellingham.
The Outdoor Center’s director, Fred Collins, said student employees from the center are working to purchase used street bikes in order to offer them at a low rate to Western students for rental.
The funds, which were provided by the Associated Students (AS), should make the recycled bikes available to rent sometime by the end of the quarter, he said.
“It’s a great deal for students,” Askey said. “For something like five bucks a day, anyone with their Western card can rent a bike.”
Devon Branson, Western senior and AS alternative transportation coordinator, said he sold his car as soon as he moved to Bellingham for college.
“I ride my bike everywhere,” Branson said. “I have never had difficulty getting anywhere around Bellingham. The toughest place to ride a bike is down Chuckanut Drive to go hiking, and that still isn’t so bad.”
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