The Bike Program Update

Oxy's bike rental program seems to be making slow but steady progress. Though the whole process is fairly complicated (new issues to address seem to pop up every class), things are gradually shaping up. For me, what has been most interesting, is seeing the various steps a program like this goes through to be properly implemented and approved.

Initially, I was pretty pumped about the whole idea, and genuinely thought that we could just fix some bikes, put up some signs to alert students, and we would have a fully functioning program. Obviously, things are not that simple. Thus far, we've been working figure out the numerous waiver/insurance issues, basic things such as where to store the bikes and how to check them out to students, student outreach, and, of course, maintenance. Each of these topics requires a good deal of thoughtful planning, especially since they need to be approved by the Administration before any real action can be taken.

In response to these concerns, we've been reviewing past proposals and waivers in use at other schools with bike programs (such as Pitzer). Also, we're exploring the possibility of producing some sort of bike safety video to further ensure cautious riders. The group has held a number of meetings with several Oxy administrators, such as Rebecca Dowling, to address financial matters relating to the program. In terms of storage and check out systems, we've been in contact with the library, which, as some of you may know, is trying to integrate with the Oxy community in a more interactive way. This week there was an open forum in which library officials and students (including a few bike rental group members) discussed ways in which to renovate the library to promote their new aims. We're hoping to be able to piggyback on this idea of a more interactive library, and slip the bike rental program into the developing plans. As far as student outreach goes, we're also working on a survey that will give us an estimate of how students would react to this kind program. This to me, seems extremely important, seeing as there is no guarantee the program would be used, even if it is instated. Maintenace is still not totally figured out, although we've been in contact with local bike advocacy groups, such as the Bike Oven, and have thus far gotten a lot of support.

This is just a bit of what we've been working on. So, all in all, looks like things are progressing gradually.