Starting next semester, Syracuse University students might be able to borrow bikes to get around campus at no extra cost.

SU announced on Oct. 16 that the university is developing a bike-share program for next spring that will allow students to temporarily take out and use bikes free of charge for 24 hours at a time.

Current plans for the program would require students to sign liability waivers and bike-share agreements to gain first come, first serve access to bikes at Archbold Gymnasium, said Rick Martin, a principal analyst for the project.

Bike “rentals” will be free of charge as long as they are returned in good condition within 24 hours, or in the case of Friday rentals, they can be returned after the weekend. A bike-share program is already in place at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which has provided a model for SU.

There is not yet a fixed date for the implementation of the bike-share program at SU, Martin said, though a tentative goal for early spring 2015 has been set.

“We’d like to have bikes available by mid-to-late March,” Martin said. “But that may not be possible or appropriate.”

Martin said the bike-share idea has gone through a long process of “percolating for several years” and has been discussed among the Sustainability Division, Parking and Transit Services and Recreation Services. There have also been various challenges to overcome in the early preparation stages.

“In this case, supply of bikes, storage of bikes, repair and maintenance of bikes, drafting of an appropriate waiver of liability and constructing operating procedures have all taken effort,” Martin said.

Currently, SU’s bike-share project is under development by a working departmental group including Sustainability, Parking and Transit, Recreation Services, Residence Life and the Department of Public Safety, Martin said.

The program will involve a kiosk in Archbold Gymnasium and could potentially include a second kiosk around Manley Field House on South Campus, said Melissa Fierke, an ESF biology professor involved with implementing a similar bike-sharing program at SUNY-ESF.

Students have played an integral role in the bike-share program since its inception, and have remained major drivers behind the program’s development. The pilot project currently being developed at SU was started last spring by Student Association Vice President Daniela Lopez.

“We want to keep it simple, have student involvement and incorporate student ideas that will let the program evolve,” said Scot Vanderpool, manager of SU Parking Services who has been involved with the initiative. “Students are currently a big part of the development of the program.”

SUNY-ESF students Frannie Monasterio and Drew Gamils started the program at SUNY-ESF as part of their honors thesis project.

Monasterio and Gamils used a combination of grant money and funds allocated for their thesis project to establish the original bike-sharing program at SUNY-ESF in spring 2013. The program operates using a $20 yearly user fee, in contrast to the proposed free rates of SU’s version.

“We really like what ESF has done and modeled much of our program after ESF’s,” Vanderpool said. “ESF had a rough start but they are now getting more interest. I really think both programs will be successful.”

Fierke, who was involved with implementing the SUNY-ESF program, said there have been some challenges. But, she said she thought a similar program might fare better at SU.

“A main difficulty has been getting people to actually use the bikes,” she said. “Likely reasons for this include the fact that many ESF students already own bikes, or don’t want to pay the $20 fee.”

Some students expressed enthusiasm for the idea of a bike-share program. Matt Deeb, a freshman finance and information management dual major, said he thinks a bike-sharing program would be beneficial and could provide additional transportation options for students.

Said Deeb: “I think it’s a good idea and could benefit a lot of kids who want the convenience of having a bike on campus without the responsibility of storing it overnight.”

Published on October 30, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Thomas: tjbeckle@syr.edu