Students’ and faculty members’ chance to add their input to changes concerning campus biking and walking trails ends at 6 tonight.

The survey was implemented by Alta Design and Planning, a consulting firm specializing in bike and pedestrian trail development, said Kevin Wood, a designer with Alta.

The survey factors into an overall plan for future projects on campus and has received around 2,000 answers so far, Wood said.

“The overall goal of the plan is to create a system that is safer for biking and walking across campus,” Wood said.

Alta is also working closely with OU’s bike task force, led by Nicholas Hathaway, vice-president of executive and administrative affairs.

The task force spends the majority of its time discussing the completion of bicycle networks promoting safety for bicycle riders and pedestrians, Hathaway said.

“The task force has provided a forum for faculty, staff and students who are interested in bicycle issues to voice their thoughts and ideas,” Hathaway said in an e-mail.

Hathaway’s assistant, Lezlie Pilkington, helped distribute Alta’s survey and is also a member of the task force. She attends each meeting between the committee and Alta.

“The committee’s number one priority is assisting the consultants,” Pilkington said.

While no specific projects have been completed by Alta yet, the task force has made changes on campus, Jonathan Vann, vice-chairman of Student Congress, said.

Vann attends the committee meetings as a representative of Congress. He also rides his bike to campus from home, but he prefers walking around campus on foot.

He said the bike racks on campus were outdated so the task force replaced a majority of the bike racks around campus to help prevent theft, he said.

Hester Hall’s bike racks haven’t been updated but there are plans to replace them in January, Wood said.

The funds used to fix the bike racks were provided by the vice-president’s office, Hathaway said. OU is facing budget cuts next semester, but it shouldn’t prevent the task force from making progress, he said in an e-mail.

Building a bike trail connecting the Norman campus and the research campus is also a top priority for Alta and the task force, Pilkington said.

Vann said some cycling and walking problems on campus aren’t linked to poor development or structure, but a lack of consideration by students.

“Walkers stand in the bike lanes and cyclists ride around without regard to pedestrians,” Vann said. “They should educate freshmen students during orientation about cycling rules. That would start helping students get a full understanding about the rules on campus.”

The task force hired Alta six months ago with funds provided by President David Boren’s office, Hathaway said.

LINK
» Take a survey about campus walking and biking trails by 6 tonight