At one point in time Freddie Mercury and Queen were famous for proclaiming they wanted to ride their bicycles and wanted to ride them where they liked. Thirty years later, Ripon College is proclaiming they would like their incoming freshman to be riding bikes and riding them where they like as well.
According to an August 28 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, the 1,000-student college offered incoming freshmen a brand new Trek 820 mountain bike, a Trek Vapor helmet and a Master Lock U-Lock if they pledged to leave their cars at home. If the offer was accepted, all items were allowed to be kept permanently.
The Ripon bike giveaway, called the Velorution Project, is a good idea. Not only does it promote good health practices and regular exercise, but is also environmentally friendly.
Hopefully Ripon’s giveaway can open the door and catch the attention of UW-Eau Claire and other UW System administrations. Although it would be a problem to create a similar giveaway at a public school such as Eau Claire, the giveaway at the private Ripon will hopefully aide in getting our university and others to look at making campuses more biker friendly.
Furthermore, it would be great for the city of Eau Claire, and other cities where college and university students are a large part of their population, to make biking to campus from further distances easier. Yes, riding the bus is free to students, and this is something the city of Eau Claire and others offering similar programs should be commended for deciding to allow. But still, many students that attend Eau Claire live far away from campus and far enough from bus stops that they simply choose to drive vehicles to class.
Should the university and the city engage in making the campus and city more accessible to bikes, many problems students and staff driving motor vehicles face would be alleviated. The demand for parking permits and the fear of safety issues would decrease along with the havoc that occurs daily in lots and streets around Hibbard Hall and Haas Fine Arts Center. Not to mention, mother nature would likely be thrilled with it as well.
