Bike share program rolling onto campus this spring
By David Yaghutiel
Oct. 27, 2016 10:46 a.m.
UCLA officials said a campus bike share program will launch spring 2017.
The UCLA bike share program, which was announced April, will allow students, faculty, staff and visitors to rent bikes for a fee and return them at hubs all over campus.
David Karwaski, senior associate director of UCLA Transportation, said he thinks the program will improve student health, reduce UCLA’s traffic and carbon footprint and make campus transportation more efficient.
Karwaski said UCLA Transportation predicts around 800 students, 500 employees, 50 Westwood community members and even some campus visitors will use the program. UCLA Transportation has already ordered the program’s bicycles and equipment.
CycleHop, a bike share company, will operate the system, Karwaski said. There will be 130 bikes located in 16 bike hubs and two of the hubs will be in Westwood village. Karwaski added he estimates each bike will be used three or four times each day.
[Related: New program to allow students to rent bikes on campus, in Westwood]
Karwaski said he thinks the bike share program will make Westwood more vibrant and motivate students to go to Westwood for lunch between classes.
Jeffrey Zhao, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics student, said he thinks cycling on campus saves time and energy. He added he thinks some students may not want to buy a bike and take it between their hometowns and UCLA, so renting would be more convenient.
Other students said they do not think UCLA is a bike-accessible campus.
John Sinclair, a fourth-year history student, said he thinks UCLA’s stairs, hills and lack of bike lanes make cycling difficult.
Karwaski said he hopes that the program will make UCLA a more bike-friendly campus.
“We hope that it will solidify the bike culture at UCLA,” Karwaski said.
