While significant strides have been made in terms of alternative transportation at Oxy over the past school year, there is still room for much improvement. The founding of the bike sharing program and the approval of the forthcoming Zipcar program on campus demonstrate a sincere commitment from both students and administrators alike to improve alternative transportation resources at Oxy, but much more can be done to improve transportation alternatives. Some advancements can not be made until the administration lends a hand, but in the meantime, students can do a great deal to promote more sustainable lifestyles among the student population. The following is a brief run-down of what students can expect to see rolled out in the coming school year to improve alternative transportation options at Occidental.
1. A bigger, better bike-sharing program. The recent launch of the bike sharing program campus has already been proven to be a big hit among the student population. Evidence of this can be found in how much bikes have been rented out -- strolling past the bike sharing rack one can see that very few bike sharing bikes are available at any point during the day. Campaigns will be conducted this summer in order to procure more bikes for the program. With luck, the program will be able to raffle a few bikes in the fall so that a number of lucky students can have a bike for the entire semester, and the remainder will still available for daily checkout. Aside from better serving the student population looking for bikes, this new dimension of the bike sharing program would provide greater incentive for students to take care of the bikes, as they will be in the possession of one student for the entirety of the semester.
2. A fully functional bike shop and repair space in the bike sharing program cage. A number of the bike sharing bikes have already taken a beating since the program's launch, and many of those bikes have yet to be fixed and put back out for further use. The delay in returning these bikes to a functional state is due, in part, to the lack of resources in the bike cage. Over the summer, the cage will be built out into a function bike shop -- complete with a workbench, bike stand and wheel truing station. The new setup will allow bike sharing mechanics to more promptly repair bikes and return them for use, as well as offer open shop hours once or twice a week where students can come in and learn how to repair their own bike. The goal is to not only educate the student body about how to maintain their own bikes, but also to utilize the space as the hub for alternative transportation culture at Occidental College.
3. A very active bike club. The Occidental Bike Club, founded this year, had a slow start. However, after its first meeting just a few months ago, the club has led a few rides, including trips around Northeast Los Angeles and participating in the NELA Second Saturday Spoke(n) Art Ride. With the coming semester, however, the Bike Club plans to have week or bi-weekly rides. In addition to improving students' knowledge of Northeast Los Angeles and the safest bike routes, the club will be vital in promoting more cohesive bike culture on campus.
For questions or suggestions pertaining to improving student-lead alternative transportation initiatives, do not hesitate to contact Askasham Pace, Max Levine or myself. In the meantime, we look forward to better serving the Occidental community in the coming year.
