Bike fair shows alternative means of transportation

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By Emily Markanich

[email protected]

A bicycle trivia station in the Student Center on Wednesday afternoon aimed to support alternative transportation methods for students.

The event came with news that UK plans to increase bike parking at residence halls by 25 percent starting this summer, according to UKPTS Marketing/Promotions Specialist senior Chrissie Balding Tune.

The event, set up by UK Parking and Transportation Services, gave students an opportunity to learn about local bike regulations and resources on campus including the do-it-yourself bike repair stations.

Parking and Transportation Services works with the Bicycle Advisory Committee in continually looking for ways to improve bicycle infrastructure and access, Tune said.

The organization Wildcat Wheels Bike Library, located in the basement of Blazer Hall, offers semester-long bike checkouts, weekly bike checkouts, open shop repair hours and a mobile repair shop, according to Tune.

The Bicycle Advisory Committee also created the Big Blue Cycles program in an effort to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicle rips to campus.

The program guarantees an 8-speed commuter bike equipped with fenders and a bell to participating students who live in university housing and sign a commitment not to bring a car with them to Lexington.

At the trivia station, students were also able to win bike-related prizes. History junior Ruth Gonzalez Jimenez and kinesiology junior Eliana Jauregui walked away with bells and seat covers for their bikes.

“I just got a bike yesterday, so it’s kind of ironic we saw this,” Jauregui said.

Jimenez had a previous bike stolen on campus and is taking measures to ensure she has better luck this time around.

“We’re learning s3ome stuff about how to use bikes around campus so they don’t get stolen,” Jimenez said.

By registering for a UK bicycle permit, one has a visible theft deterrent and aid in theft recovery, according to Tune.

“Similar programs on other campuses have decreased bicycle thefts,” wrote Tune in an email to the Kentucky Kernel.