Cycling around campus has become even easier for the university’s growing bike-riding population with the recent installation of several new repair stations.
The Office of Sustainability, the Facilities Management Division and Recreational Sports funded the four bicycle repair stations in Myers quadrangle and at the Miller Learning Center, the main library and the Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities, where staff from UGA Outdoor Recreation teach bike repair clinics.
Each station contains a tire pump and basic tools so that campus cyclists have the ability to perform maintenance-related tasks without taking their bikes off campus to be repaired. A QR code on each station also will allow bicyclists to view detailed instructions on their smartphones.
The program was launched by Joseph Robinson, an undergraduate in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and a student worker in the Outdoor Recreation program. He received a grant from the Office of Sustainability to carry out his vision for a network of bike repair stations at the university.
“I had heard from many students that they would ride their bike more, but they had a small issue with their bike that they did not have immediate resources to fix,” Robinson said. “By providing these stations, we hope to allow students to make these small repairs and feel more confident riding their bikes-knowing that if a problem arises, they will not be stranded.”
The program’s potential was apparent early on, said Lance Haynie, assistant director for UGA Outdoor Recreation.
“We installed one repair station at the Ramsey Student Center in 2013,” he said. “It seemed to get a lot of attention and use, which made me think that additional stations around campus would be a great addition.”
The stations, called Fixit Bike Repair Stands, are manufactured by the Minneapolis-based Dero Bike Rack Co. They feature stands, each with a slot, or saddle, designed to suspend a bicycle for repairs. They include tools-wrenches, screwdrivers and other implements-attached to the stands with sturdy cables.
The Office of Sustainability awarded nine campus sustainability grants this year. Robinson’s repair station program is one of three that focus on enhancing the cycling culture at UGA.
