The Online Reflector

An increase in the number of bicycling students around campus has caused many of the racks to become crowded.

According to the Outdoors Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting outdoor activity, biking is the second most popular outdoor sport.

Senior theatre and nursing major Arianne Villareal has seen the crowding around a few of the buildings across campus.

Villareal has moved off campus to a nearby house this year and has chosen, along with her roommates, to ride her bike back and forth from classes.

One of Villareal’s roommates, senior international relations and Spanish major Brent Lederle, is also frustrated by the crowding.

“I applaud the university for being relatively bike friendly. Sidewalks are large enough to accommodate and generally there is respect for bike riders by pedestrians,” Lederle said. “However, there are no bike racks at Good or Esch Halls. How is this encouraging bike riding if two of the main campus buildings have nowhere to properly lock your bike? It’s especially frustrating when you have to lock your bike on a tree, at the library or at Schwitzer and then walk back to Esch or Good.”

Some students have taken to unconventional ways to avoid the mess around some racks.

“I’ve seen people be very creative,” Villareal said.

Bikes are frequently chained to trees or taken into stairwells.

While many students may find placing bicycles inside convenient, Director of the Physical Plant Ken Piepenbrink discourages students from taking their bikes indoors.

“It’s just common sense stuff. Nothing under a stairwell or attached to a pipeline,” Piepenbrink said.

Piepenbrink cautions students from placing a bicycle under or near a stairway. He states that the space underneath stairwells must remain clear at all times.

Piepenbrink does not see any harm in chaining a bike to a tree as long as the material used for a chain does not get hooked to a gas line or wire.

As director of the physical plant, Piepenbrink is in charge of the installation of equipment, such as bike racks. Piepenbrink estimated that bike racks can range anywhere from $500 to $1,000, depending on where they are placed and what material is being used to anchor them to the ground.

Some of the installations may call for digging into the grass to pour concrete.

All past initiatives for installing new racks were brought to him from the Indianapolis Student Government or Office of Student Affairs.

President of ISG, Valerie Wilson, has been made aware of the situation concerning the racks and encourages students who also see this problem to come together, because there has not been enough rallying to start an initiative to improve situation.

If an initiative is taken,  ISG would then take the problem to student affairs to be assessed.

Once the proper research has been done, the issue would be taken to committees, which would meet with faculty to make a decision.

As soon as the issue has gone through all the proper channels, the plan would be taken to the physical plant.

Once there, the department will assess whether the new racks must be bought or if existing racks can be reassigned to different areas. Along with overseeing the installation, the physical plant would also oversee the financial aspect of the project.

If action is taken, ISG would then monitor the process to ensure students that the problem is being handled in an appropriate and timely matter.

With current construction on Hanna Avenue, some talk has come to whether or not a bike lane should have been added to the street. The construction has brought wider sidewalks and smoother paved roads.

Piepenbrink believes that the sidewalks are a safer alternative to having bike riders close to vehicular traffic.

Bike riding has gained popularity with commuting students and residents. This form of travel has opened parking in many of the lots.

Wilson,Villareal and Lederle all try to bike whenever possible to help decrease the congestion in parking lots and as a favor to the environment.