Bike share program launches

A trial bike share program has been implemented for students to help make Luther more environmentally conservative and health-conscious.

This pilot program features five bikes that are available for students to check out for no charge. Students can pick up a bike from the Welcome Center in the Dahl Centennial Union, use it for the day and check it back in by 10 p.m. Due to safety concerns, helmets will also be available for students to check out.

The program encourages bike use for short, off-campus trips that may be too far to make by foot or for running errands around Decorah while getting exercise. The program also aims to help Luther reduce its carbon footprint.

The proposal was a collaborative effort between the environmental studies department, the Wellness program and Campus Security. It resulted from a general concern regarding the accessibility of alternative means of transportation for students.

The program, first proposed by Campus Sustainability Intern Caleb Mattison (‘07), was approved by Community Assembly April 8 and began April 14.

Rob Larson, associate professor of management, has a personal interest in the program as he bikes to work every day.

“As someone who engages in this activity … this availability of free bikes would be a way for us as a campus community to get off campus in a more responsible way than driving a car,” said Larson.

This bike program was modeled after other colleges that utilize bike sharing strategies such as a student access fee or leaving bikes unlocked around campus.

“A lot of the things I think we do at Luther, we don’t have to invent,” said Larson. “I think we can just find those that are being done well that are applicable to our community or our setting and that we’re able to support, and then we need to embrace them, and I think this falls into that category.”

More research on this subject is expected, and the success of the trial program at Luther will be evaluated alongside participant feedback before the group makes plans for the program to be expanded this fall.

“Eventually we’d like to see a program of 35 or 40 bikes maybe, something where there’s a large number of bikes that can be used,” said Mattison. “We’re trying to determine if there would be interest and people would be able to use it as an alternative for vehicles essentially.”

This is not the first time Luther has tried a bike sharing program.

“Luther tried this, apparently, some time ago … and it wasn’t especially successful because there weren’t controls, and the bikes were ending up in places they shouldn’t,” said Larson.

Some of these past struggles have been taken into consideration this time around.

“The issue we’re trying to juggle is accountability versus accessibility,” said Mattison. “We want it to be accessible enough that people use them instead of using their car … but we also want to have people be accountable for the bikes they are using.”

Other differences between the previous program and this one are funding and the participation of multiple interest groups on campus. The Wellness program has provided all the funding for the initial five bikes.

“I think there is a different philosophy here now that people are very concerned about the environment and also want do something from a wellness standpoint, a health standpoint, and this hits it right on the head,” said Greg Lonning, who directs the Wellness program.

This program can also be seen as a positive addition to Luther’s image as an environmentally sustainable institution.

“It’s a symbolic, visible gesture … of the kind of initiatives that we’re embracing as we look to be more responsible relative to our use of natural resources,” said Larson.