Colleges making the grade with bikes

There may be no better way to keep off the dreaded “freshman fifteen” than by cycling to class, and that’s just one of the reasons that students and universities across the country are pushing hard to make their campuses more bike-friendly.

Westwood’s own UCLA is one of twenty schools nationwide that have earned a place on the inaugural “Bicycle Friendly Universities” list, recently announced by the League of American Bicyclists. Five other schools from California also earned the distinction, with Stanford University awarded the “Platinum” medal for being the most bicycle friendly university nationwide. Four of the schools on the list are part of the University of California system.

LAB is a Washington, D.C.-based group that has advocated for cyclists since their main roadway competition was the horse and buggy. Their first major effort was the Good Roads Movement of 1880, which spurred the creation of a system of paved roads that would be easier on cyclists than the existing bumpy, horse-pocked dirt roads. In doing so, they literally paved the way for the automobile. Through an ironic twist of historical fate, they now struggle against the horseless carriage for wiggle room on the very system of roads they helped to create.

LAB’s Bicycle Friendly University program represents an attempt to turn back the clock on our car-dominated culture for the sake of the future. The use of bicycles to combat gas-guzzling automobiles is gaining steam these days. L.A. County’s first Master Bike Plan in 36 years is now in the works, and the city of L.A. just approved its own plan.

LAB’s program looks at the design of the schools and surrounding community to see how bikes are physically accommodated with lanes, parking and signage. It also evaluates institutional offerings such as bike safety classes, programs and organizations that reward cycling, cooperation with law enforcement, and plans for the future.

UCLA achieved a bronze-level distinction in a city where people often accept traffic jams as an unavoidable part of daily life. Among the campus programs that helped the Bruins earn this achievement is the Bike Library, a program where students can rent a bike for the entire quarter for only $35. The program has been wildly successful, and UCLA plans to expand it in the fall. There also is an on-campus bike shop for quick minor repairs, and campus bike routes ease bike commuters in their travels.

Posted 3/24/11