Berkeleyan

New program offers secure parking for bicycle commuters

05 May 2004

The campus’s Parking & Transportation department has installed secure, indoor bicycle parking facilities at five locations throughout campus. Through 2004, these 203 parking spaces for bicycle commuters will be offered to UC affiliates (faculty, staff, and students) free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parking & Transportation estimates that 2,700 students and 1,100 employees cycle to campus on a regular basis. Unlike the car-bound, pedallers have little problem finding a designated parking space near their campus destination, says campus transportation planner Kira Stoll. Many more live close enough to campus to enjoy this benefit of bicycling. She says theft of bikes and bike parts “is a real concern that stops some people from riding” — although thieves concentrate on bikes or bike parts that are not well secured, she notes.

To encourage potential bicycle commuters, the new program offers four locked, cage facilities — with a total of 130 bicycle parking spaces — located at the Recreational Sports Facility and the Bancroft, Boalt and MLK Student Union parking lots. A fifth parking area, at Evans Hall, has 73 bike spaces monitored by security cameras; bike parking spaces at this site are available to campus non-affiliates as well as to employees and students.

Commuters using the facilities must have a valid California bicycle license (free licenses are issued by the UC Police Department) and must lock their bikes with a high-quality lock to racks provided. The facilities are for commute purposes, so bike storage for extended periods is not permitted; occasional overnight use is okay, say Stoll. The four caged facilities are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using a personal-access code issued by Parking & Transportation. Access codes will be free through December. Longer-term policies and fees will be based on how the pilot program works this year.

Campus affiliates may apply for a parking-facility access code online or by mail. For details or an application form, see www.berkeley.edu/transportation and select “Bicycle Information” from the left-hand column. For additional information, contact Kira Stoll at stoll@uclink.berkeley.edu or 643-9276.

Celebrate cycling on May 20, Bike to Work Day

Join the bicycle nation on Thursday, May 20, when the Bay Area celebrates Bike to Work Day. Register online for a chance to win prizes, including round-trip tickets for two to Hawaii, and discounts at participating local bike shops. At the UC-sponsored “energizer station” — on the West Crescent lawn on Oxford Street (between Center Street and University Avenue) from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. — bike riders will find refreshments, giveaways, and free California bicycle licenses. See www.511.org/btwd/for details and to register.