Bicycles at San Jose State University

(This write up is in support of a photo essay at this link
http://picasaweb.google.com/kirti.k3/EnvironmentalPlanningEssay?feat=directlink)

San Jose State University (SJSU) campus is a bicycle and pedestrian friendly zone. Many students in San Jose state university already use bicycles. Besides the protected bicycle parking spaces at five locations on campus, there are small stands fixed to the ground, near every department building. With the sustainability drive raising awareness at SJSU it’s not wrong to assume that many students, staff and faculty members would want to shift to this environment friendly mode of transport. In that case university would have to develop bicycle stands at strategic points across the campus.

As of today, users park their bicycles in convenient places, which usually are not the designated bicycle parking spots. Some bicycle stands are away from the building entrances. As a result there are more bicycles parked out side than at the bicycle stands. The stands which are close to the building entrances are congested with bicycles. Whereas in some places park benches are preferred bicycle locking spots than a bicycle-stand hidden behind trees. In short the parking stands are additions made without any adjustments to the design of the campus. The bicycle stands need to be strategically placed at visible spots, within 10-20 feet from the building entrance. Buildings of higher use such as the King Library and the Student’s Union should be provided with more bicycle parking stands.

Now that Mineta Transport Institute and the city of San Jose have initiated a dialogue about bike sharing program in San Jose, SJSU stands a chance to remodel the existing practice and introduce an improved program for the benefit of community and environment.

In my opinion a bicycle sharing program would benefit only San Jose residents, whereas a bike renting program may benefit students who live farther. With a Bike renting program, those of us who live over 4 miles from the University could be given an option of renting a bicycle per semester, so that they could use the bicycles in combination with a mass public transport. It is possible to provide people with an environment friendly option that they may get inspired from and replace cars by bicycles in daily life even after passing out of the university.

I am sure with such measures in place; San Jose State University could become an exemplary model for others to follow.