The UW-Eau Claire Student Office of Sustainability (SOS) has recently voted to subsidize 50 memberships to the nationwide Bicycle Benefits program. This effort serves as one example of a campus and community-wide push to choose green transportation over the use of fossil fuels.
Bicycle Benefits is an organization established in cities across the United States to promote bicycling among citizens. The program works through individuals and organizations to achieve this goal by providing discounts and other incentives to people who travel by bicycle.
Currently, there are six businesses in Eau Claire that participate in Bicycle Benefits. SOS Operations Coordinator and second-year exercise science student Maximilian Petijean drafted the original proposal for this effort.
Petijean said there are currently six local businesses participating in Eau Claire’s Bicycle Benefits program, and that he has reached out to a few more himself.
“Businesses pay a small fee to become members, and then they can sell memberships from their businesses,” Petijean said. “For anyone with a personal membership, if they ride their bicycle to a member organization, they will get a discount of at least 10% or some other benefit from the establishment.”
The Eau Claire businesses currently honoring Bicycle Benefits include Tangled Up In Hue, Just Local Food, The Local Store, The French Press, Northbound Foods and Ramones Ice Cream Parlor.
Jamie Kyser, owner of Tangled Up In Hue, said the business has been part of the Bike Benefits program for a number of years, but few people have come in asking about it during that time.
“It’s a great program, but people don’t seem to know about it,” Kyser said. “If more people become aware and start using it, it would be an amazing benefit to the downtown area. People have so many issues with parking here, and increased bicycling would alleviate some of that.”
Typically, according to Petijean, one Bicycle Benefits sticker costs $25. SOS has subsidized 50 of the stickers for students to use anywhere in the country, as long as they have their bike.
These 50 stickers will be available in the SOS lounge, which is located in Davies Student Center room 226, for students to take.
Petijean said in addition to the impact this subsidy will have on bicycling for Eau Claire students, the increased participation will help stimulate local businesses.
“I’ve spoken to a couple businesses, especially some in the Water street area near campus,” Petijean said. “I’m hoping we’ll have more businesses join in along with the free stickers.”
Petijean said he first discovered Bicycle Benefits last year, when he visited a business in downtown Madison.
“I noticed that they had a little sticker in their window explaining the program, and I thought that was really cool,” Petijean said. “I really hope we can create more of that bike culture here in Eau Claire.”
In addition to this subsidy, Petijean said, the SOS encourages students to bike whenever possible. The SOS lounge features a city-wide bicycling map.
“I would like to do more to encourage and facilitate alternative travel,” Petijean said. “I longboard to class most days and I really like it, so it would be cool if other people did things like that too.”
According to Petijean, SOS has a weekly membership of roughly 10-12 people. The group meets on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and the SOS lounge is open for student use. Petijean said he encourages students to visit the lounge and see what it has to offer.
Wojahn can be reached at [email protected].
