The University will apply this month for a grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation to start the largest university bike sharing program in the nation, the UBikes program, which could be available to students in spring 2013.
The program would allow University students, faculty and staff to access 100 bikes from 13 stands across Grounds. The program's bikes are intended to be kept in constant circulation and use.
"You don't take [the bicycle] out to ride for the day," said Andrew Greene, sustainability planner in the Office of the Architect. Instead, "[you] just take it to get to class or a dining hall, and then return it back so that the bike can be back in use for someone else."
The idea for a bike sharing program came from students in a entrepreneurship course in the Commerce School, Greene said. After seeing the role bicycle transportation played in European cities, these students developed the idea for their class and approached Greene to discuss an initiative, which they were interested in continuing afterward, he said.
Greene said funding for the project is not guaranteed, however.
"It is a competitive grant application because a lot of people and agencies across the state are submitting applications, so it's not a definite [that the University will receive the grant]," he said. "If we apply now, we don't find out until May or June if we've been selected."
Sarah Rhodes, transportation planner for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, said the initiative is a good candidate for the grant.
"The project is well structured and has significant benefits and a clear connection to surface transportation," she said. "I would say that the chances are good based on the merits of the application, but there might be other factors to consider when the grants are being reviewed."
The program has multiple potential benefits. Rhodes said the project could alleviate traffic issues and reduce need for parking while Greene described biking as a sustainable and environmentally-friendly practice.
"I think it is wonderful that the University is prioritizing the introduction of a UBikes program," said Leonard Schoppa, politics professor and president of Charlottesville's Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation. "These programs have been extremely successful in cities like Barcelona and Paris where local residents and tourists who need to cover a distance that is a little too far to walk can hop on a bike for that errand and save a lot of time and energy."
While the Office of the Architect and other organizations have a large role in the implementation of this program, Greene said students' opinions and ideas are always welcome and wanted.
"This is a student-led project," Greene said. "It was initially proposed by students, and, in general, it has a heavy student involvement. Lots of students involved now want to be even more involved in the program, and we would like to talk to them"
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