New bike repair stations cycle their way onto campus

A student speeds by on a bicycle during class change on Wednesday, September 19th, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Michael Clubb | Staff

Emily Laytham
September 4, 2019

UK cyclists angling for a tune-up, look no further than your own campus.

New-and-improved bike repair stations – outfitted with several retractable tools for cyclists in dire straits – have been installed at nine handy locations around UK’s campus.

The new fix-it stations replaced earlier versions installed in 2012. According to a press release, the new iterations feature two tire levers; a multi-tool; a Philips screwdriver; a flathead screwdriver; four wrenches in varying sizes; an Allen key/hex key and an air pump. Every tool is formatted for easy on-the-go use.

According to Sandra Broadus, UK’s Alternative Transportation Manager, the previous fix-it stations were due for repair.

Broadus said the old stations’ air pumps malfunctioned often, according to student complaints. After UK’s supplier stopped manufacturing the pump, officials with Transportation Services took it as a sign that change was due.

Although the new stations include the same set of tools as its predecessors, the new tools should prove more durable, according to a UK press release.

Broadus said the new stations are also cleaner-looking, with an aesthetic that better matches the University’s design.

“But it’s obviously not about the looks. It’s about the service they provide,” Broadus said in a press release. “These fix-it stations are of higher quality and heavier duty than the ones we had before, so we’re hopeful they’ll require less maintenance.”

The repair stations were originally installed to promote sustainability on campus. UK Transportation has pushed for sustainability through cycling in the past with measures like the bike voucher program, wherein a student waives parking for two years in exchange for a $400 voucher toward purchasing a bike, and Big Blue Cycles, a program that allows students living on-campus to borrow a bike for the school year if they do not buy a UK parking permit.

Such measures contributed to UK’s pick as “Most Bike-Friendly” campus in the U.S. in 2018 by Bicycle Magazine.

The new repair stations are yet another example of “a robust cycling culture on campus,” according to a press release.

“I can’t wait to see cyclists’ reactions to them the next time they swing by for a tune-up,” Broadus said.

According to the press release, the stations are located in the same places as the old ones.