We all know going green is cool. That’s why OU hopped on board. But all good ideas can be better.
Many U.S. cities and colleges have now implemented public bike-share programs, such as Washington D.C.’s SmartBike DC. With a quick swipe of a card, a person can borrow a bike from one of 10 downtown locations and peddle to meetings a few blocks away to cut back on driving.
It essentially works like a taxi service—except free on many occasions and no carbon emissions.
OU stepped up with reusable meal containers at Cate Center and digital pay stubs. Let’s take another leap.
The university could benefit from a modified version of this eco-friendly, European brainchild.
I experienced the two-wheeled delight in France while trekking to a park. We simply hopped on two public bikes at an automated rental destination, cruised along in half the walking time and “parked” in a different location near the park, saving time and sweat.
Rounding up unused bikes doesn’t seem like too large of task for such a determined institution.
OU should join the host of U.S. colleges that already use a bike share program.
Personally, after someone stole my bike from my front porch (I didn’t lock it because I have too much faith in humanity), I’d love to get from Gaylord to the art museum in two minutes flat again. I’m sure other bike-less peers concur.
Fallbacks exist, as with any noble venture—money, manpower, willpower. But we can’t save the planet without leaping a few hurdles. Consider this a call to all the greensters around the OU community.
We already proved ourselves in the national Recyclemania, beating the University of Texas and Colorado—both of which I hear are go-green, hippie havens.
So many possibilities exist with a free bike share program: I’m hoping for a tread mark sidewalk art competition.
My only request: at least one kid-sized bike for rent. Pink. With pegs. Heck, I’ll donate that myself.
-Lindsey Allgood is a professional writing senior.
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sz004 3 years, 1 month ago
Yay! I too enjoyed the splendor of bike-sharing in Europe it was great! I think this is even something that can move beyond OU and into Norman entirely. Such a cool idea.
JJanowiak 3 years, 1 month ago
Hey darlingt, coming from a cyclist too sick of other cyclists to fix his own bike, you have absolutely no right to complain when pedestrians walk in front of you anywhere besides the bike path. These paths are narrow and people like you are an absolute pain when you start swerving around fast, forcing us to compensate for your lack of consideration. These are FOOT paths, so why don't you walk your bike like everyone else? Oh, I forgot, you probably have a class in two minutes and you're late.
TAG 3 years, 1 month ago
More bike friendly, its the smart thing to do.
darlingt 3 years, 1 month ago
You want to know what's a nuisance, JJanowiak? Pedestrians walking in front of bicyclists and then getting upset when we have to swerve around them. If both groups would just pay attention and "share the road", so to speak, we wouldn't have this problem.
Also, we do need a more bike-friendly city.
JJanowiak 3 years, 1 month ago
It certainly worked out well in Tulsa. The only problem is that the cruiser bikes normally used for bike shares just won't work in Norman's bike-unfriendly streets, and lacking any kind of trail system, could easily turn into a fart-around-campus bike exchange. OU at all costs should avoid having more unnecessary cyclists clogging up pedestrian paths on campus since they're a nuisance everywhere besides the roads and the designated bike path in the South Oval. But if it's a general bike-around-Norman program, OU should leave it to the city.