With so many alternate means of transportation, Florida A&M students seem to overlook one particular method: traveling by bike.
Several students use bikes to commute to campus, expecting to secure their bikes on bike racks.
But to date there are only a handful of bike racks located in areas like the Set and the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.
When visiting the school website, the parking services page only discusses protocol for transportation by car; it makes no mention of bike storage or areas designated for bike lock up.
According to the city of Tallahassee, the promotion of commute to campus by bicycle was encouraged with the appearance of bike racks on all campus buses. However, if students are encouraged to leave their cars at home and bike instead, bike racks on buses aren’t effective if accessible bike racks on campus are not also available.
FAMU sits on a steep hill, which, to some, may deter potential cyclists. Regardless of the school’s location bike racks should be plentiful for students to use if needed, just like any other university.
Enrollment is reportedly over 13,000 and shows no signs of decline with each incoming class getting larger. With the influx of vehicle traffic that comes with such growth, more attention needs to be directed to those who’ve considered traveling by bike but noticed a lack of bike storage around campus.
The proposed addition of bike paths on the FAMU Way should also be a catalyst for accommodating bicyclists. Students can ensure the addition of bike paths on the new FAMU Way are effective by pressuring the Student Government Association to add more bike racks around the school to promote commuting by bicycle.
In the midst of a ‘Going Green’ campaign at FAMU certain steps must be taken to adequately satisfy this pledge.
If the university hopes to shrink its carbon footprint, the use of bicycles should be embraced and heavily advocated. However, there can’t be a massive change in the way we commute to campus if bicycles aren’t apart of the equation.
This change starts with student leaders recognizing that solutions must be available in order for results to become visible. Students can’t be expected to be more resourceful by traveling on bicycles if there is not enough enthusiasm for its presence on campus.
Students should have access to more available bike racks around campus to give them a choice on how to commute. If the option is not given then the use of bicycles will not be taken into consideration.