Bike rental program talks continue

Three bicycle-renting stations might be set up on campus as early as the end of the semester, UNC officials said.

The ReCYCLEry, a local organization devoted to providing a reliable source of clean and affordable transportation for the community, began negotiations last year with UNC’s Department of Public Safety. Although the talks broke down last year, efforts have recently started again.

ReCYCLEry maintains Blue Urban Bikes, which already has 10 designated hubs in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. For a $10 annual membership, bicycles can be rented for 24 hours at no extra cost.

“You get some folks who haven’t invested in a bike, whether they don’t have the money to put forth or they don’t have the time to work on one,” said Chris Richmond, director of ReCYCLEry. “So whatever the reason, the program is designed to get folks to try riding a bike for errands, for fun, for exercise or just for the community.”

The urban bikes program was launched in Chapel Hill two years ago.

Hubs already are located in areas such as the Chapel Hill Town Hall, Owen’s 501 Diner and Carr Mill Mall.

Tentative on-campus locations include areas near Morrison Residence Hall, the Student Union and the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Richmond said.

DPS Spokesman Randy Young said the campus could benefit from having its own hubs.

Current construction has cut off many areas once accessible by car, limiting parking to select areas around campus, Young said.

“When we saw the decrease in the number of parking spaces with the development plan, we had to move to entertaining the notion of providing other sources of transportation,” he said.

Catherine Lazorko, Chapel Hill’s public information officer, said the town hopes students won’t be the only ones to take advantage of the bikes.

“Whenever an employee needs to go to a meeting nearby, we’re hoping they’ll take that option,” Lazorko said.

Some town employees, such as Sustainability Officer John Richardson, have made use of Blue Urban Bikes.

“They’re largely used in cases where either walking isn’t fast enough or it’s a little far,” Richardson said. “It’s a good way to get to an intermediate location for meetings or even just for lunch.”

Donald Luse, director of the Carolina Union, said the program also offers environmental benefits.

“Anything we can do to make the campus more sustainable and more green is a good thing to consider,” Luse said. “I don’t think anybody would be against an idea that helps the community save energy and make things more convenient, especially for our students.”

The addition might raise awareness for the ReCYCLEry’s goals.

“Any idea that saves energy is well worth investigating,” Luse said. “I mean, it would be silly not to. Can we work out all the details? Can we make everything work?

“That’s where we are right now, so I guess we’ll see.”



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