Tufts students: Ever wanted to get to Davis but just missed the Joey? Ever wanted to stay at a concert in Boston but had to rush off to catch the T? If so, your life could get a whole lot better.
Tufts Bikes, a new student group, is applying for Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate capital expenditure funding to start a bike-sharing program. Tufts Bikes would purchase a fleet of high-quality, reliable bicycles and give members of the Tufts community the ability to check out the bicycles free of charge. Tufts Bikes would also create a bicycle repair space on campus to maintain the bike share's bikes, sponsor fun group rides and teach bicycle maintenance and repair classes, as well as safe city-riding classes.
Bike sharing is an idea that has been tossed around at Tufts many times. There are successful bike-sharing programs at many other campuses across the country, as well as in major cities worldwide. These programs provide easy, reliable and sustainable transportation options.
Within the Tufts community, there is tremendous support for the idea. Our online survey of over 800 Tufts undergraduates, graduate students and faculty has shown that many students want to use bikes but don't have them on campus because they are too expensive and too hard to store or they don't want the costs or responsibilities associated with owning a bike.
Tufts Bikes would solve all of these problems by making bikes available free of charge to all Tufts students and faculty. Our survey found that about 97 percent of students in our survey want a bike-sharing program at Tufts. A 2008 Senate survey showed similar results, finding that that 69 percent of students said they would participate in a bike share at least once a week.
This is a program that will benefit all members of the Tufts community, not just specific groups. Bike sharing would help students get off campus and help break through the campus "bubble." Instead of having to wait for the Joey and then rely on the T to get around, students will be able to check out bikes and get places according to their own schedule. Tufts Bikes will allow students to get into Davis, get to their off-campus internships and jobs, go shopping or just ride around and have fun.
A bike-sharing program also allows people to better understand how Tufts is connected to the surrounding neighborhoods and Boston, helping them to improve their relationships with neighboring communities. You can't fully experience Boston until you start biking around it. Biking helps people find cool restaurants, stores and parks in areas that one might not notice in a car or on the T. Tufts Bikes will create a community around bicycling and will increase awareness and use of alternative transportation. Biking is the most environmentally beneficial form of transportation, and a bike-sharing program will demonstrate Tufts' commitment to the environment.
Implementing Tufts Bikes' plan will require a large up-front cost, but once started, it will take a small budget to maintain. Once we've purchased the bikes, they will remain an asset to the community for many years. All that remains between the proposal and implementation of this program is funding by the TCU Senate. Our whole proposal, including procedures, partners, survey data and financial information, is online at our website tuftsbikes.wordpress.com. Check it out and let us know what you think. We believe that if funded and implemented, Tufts Bikes' bike-sharing program will become an indispensable feature in the lives of Tufts students. Please do not pass up this opportunity: Tell Senate to fund Tufts Bikes and bring free bike access to all Tufts students and faculty.
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Daniel Heller is a senior majoring in political science. He is a founding member of Tufts Bikes.
