Share the love with Purdue's bike share program

Bike shares are booming: 22,390 bikes are wheeling around 54 U.S. cities. Now, add Purdue University to that list.

The program — offered through a service called Zagster — is set to launch by Aug. 24, the first day of fall semester, with 50 bicycles at 13 stations on campus. Users can text or punch in a code on a mobile app to check bikes out at one location and check them in at another.

Yearly memberships — which are open to the community, not only those affiliated with Purdue — begin in August and cost $25.

Bike stations will be placed across campus based on their proximity to residence halls, offices, bus stops, parking garages, bike lanes and parking lots, including the ones at Ross-Ade Stadium and Discovery Park, which are popular among commuter students.

"Where are the big buildings? Where are the classes?" said Michael Gulich, director of Purdue's Office of University Sustainability. "So basically, where are people trying to get from A to B?"

'Why don't we have a bike share?'

Planning began about a year ago as feedback from another project — Purdue's bike and pedestrian master plan — indicated students would use a bike share program if brought to campus, Gulich said. About 1,200 students use bicycles during peak class hours in the spring, according to bike counts by Purdue's physical facilities office.

"We heard over and over again ... 'We ought to have a bike share,' or 'Why don't we have a bike share?' " he said.

Mitch Nettesheim, a Purdue staff member who served on the master planning committee, said he's a cycling advocate and he "lived on a bike" as a college student. By sharing bikes, he said, fewer will be abandoned on campus and fewer out-of-state students will worry about having to bring one from home.

"It's by far the easiest way to get around campus," he said, "so I would think if the program is well-run with good bikes, I think it could explode."

'An expectation'

More and more communities are coming along for the ride, including 14 U.S. cities in 2014 alone, according to the Bike-sharing Blog, operated by the Washington, D.C.-based consultancy MetroBike LLC. Indianapolis was one of them, launching the Indiana Pacers Bikeshare in April 2014 with 250 bikes in 25 downtown locations.

Zagster could be one of the fastest growing services, increasing its fleet by 300 percent last year, according to a company press release. The service will launch this fall at Ohio State University with 115 bikes, according to an OSU press release.

Indiana University last summer launched a smaller bike share, consisting of 15 refurbished bikes that been left on campus, said Kristin Brethova, assistant director of IU's Office of Sustainability. IU is looking this fall to revamp its program, called Crimson Cruisers, she noted.

As alternative transportation gains traction, Gulich said, bike shares are becoming an important recruiting tool.

"As these types of programs pop up more in different municipalities and different campuses around the country," he said, "it's almost become — I'd say especially with the incoming class — somewhat of an expectation."

'Bicycle-friendly culture'

Purdue's bike and pedestrian master plan will complement the service with the necessary infrastructure, signage, safety and education, Gulich said.

"Basically, it's promoting a bicycle-friendly culture on campus," he said.

Aaron Madrid, president of Bicycle Lafayette, said the bike share program could help increase visibility and awareness.

At least four cyclists have been struck by cars in Tippecanoe County since late May. One man received back surgery after he was struck on Harrison Bridge by a driver who told police he was reaching for a cellphone, spurring an awareness event in June called "Bridging Greater Lafayette: Taking the Lane."

"At the end of the day, the best thing for the cycling community is to get more people riding bikes," he said. "Because the more people riding bikes, the more visible they are on the road to people."

The program is designed mainly for short rides and to work in tandem with other environmentally friendly transportation, such as Zipcar or Citybus. It will launch with help from a $75,000 grant from Alcoa Foundation, which invests in sustainability initiatives worldwide.

"It is clear that bike share programs are increasing in popularity for their environmental and health benefits," said Alice Truscott, Alcoa Foundation's program manager. "We are proud to work with Purdue University — a longtime partner — to help incentivize their students, faculty and staff to travel in a human-powered, environmentally friendly means across their campus."

Register for Purdue's bike share

Yearly memberships — which are open to the community, not only those affiliated with Purdue — begin in August. The first 500 users to preregister online at zagster.com/purdue receive a free helmet.

How it works

Yearly memberships cost $25. Once a member, the pricing structure is as follows:

Monday through Friday

•Rides less than three hours: Free

•Rides more than three hours: $2 per hour, up to $10 a day

Saturday and Sunday

•Rides less than six hours: Free

•Rides more than six hours: $2 per hour, up to $20 a day