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The University of Louisville’s Disability Resource Center has had some problems with student bicycles. Campus guard rails and their accompanying handicap access ramps, while seemingly ideal alternative bike racks, have a specific function. Even chaining a bicycle on the outside of a ramp can impede the proper use of these facilities by disabled students.This phenomenon is as much a consequence of inadequate bicycle parking as it is one of inconsiderate student behavior. In general, the bicycle is the bastard child of any transportation community. As not many people use bicycles as a primary mode of transportation, the few who do are often considered to be diehards or fanatics. Also, few drivers are comfortable negotiating city streets with cyclists nearby.The result has been a demonization of urban bike riders. Cities like New York or Chicago, while fortunate to have active bike-riding populations, have had a difficult time integrating these riders into the day-to-day traffic rhythm. Some of the most extreme manifestations of this tension can be seen in “road rage” murders. Chicago cyclist Tommy McBride, for example, was purposefully run down by a motorist who struck him repeatedly in retaliation for an earlier roadway incident.Contrary to public opinion, not all cyclists are environmental activists or physical fitness fanatics. There is a strong efficiency argument to be made for cycling. Given the time most students spend searching for parking – and walking from a parking space to the class building – a cyclist can instead avoid the hassle of sharking for a parking spot in the green lots and just chain his or her bike outside the classroom.U of L, in a joint effort with campus organizations, should push for more students to commute via bicycle. In doing so, parking problems would lessen while also creating more sense of community among cyclists. The catch-22 is that in order to increase the number of cyclists U of L would have to entice students and faculty to use bicycles as a primary mode of transportation. A couple campus modifications that would make campus more bicycle-friendly would be increasing the number of bike racks while also placing racks under some type of protective shelter for inclement weather. While it’s doubtful that the number of cyclists will increase to the point where parking is no longer be a problem, making U of L a friendly place for cyclists will be a step in the right direction toward creating a greater sense of community on campus.
