CWU to launch Bike Share pilot program in spring

As Central Washington University continues to implement our ambitious Climate Action Plan, the student body has been invited to share their ideas and suggestions for ways to reduce our carbon footprint through the Student Green Fund, a fee-based budget set aside specifically for projects inspired and led by students.

This spring, one such project will be introduced on the Ellensburg campus: a free-to-use Bike Share program, envisioned by Environmental Geology senior Caydence Hesch.

“The key to reducing our single-passenger vehicle emissions is to make sustainable forms of commuting accessible, which is why I was passionate about making the bike rentals free for students,” Hesch said. “Reducing burdens such as cost, storage, and maintenance can make biking an easier choice for college students who are already juggling enough as it is.”

The Bike Share program, which will make eight single-speed bikes and two eight-speed bikes available for student use, has come about through a collaborative effort between the CWU Sustainability Office and Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals (OPR), our on-campus outdoor equipment rental shop in the SURC.

When Sustainability Director Jeff Bousson heard about Hesch’s idea, he was excited about what the program could mean for CWU’s overall sustainability goals.

“One of the objectives listed in CWU’s Climate Action Plan is to reduce vehicle travel and traffic on campus, especially as it relates to folks driving from parking lot to parking lot on campus,” he said. “Considering that transportation accounts for the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington, any initiative that aims to reduce pollution attributed to internal combustion vehicles will help reduce our environmental impact.”

Senior Coordinator of Adventure Programs Logan Scully, who oversees OPR, explained that the bikes procured for the program are perfectly suited for the Ellensburg terrain, providing students with an effective means of transportation both on and off campus.

“They are fully ridged, meaning no shocks on the front and back, but their geometry is good enough to handle bumps, going off curbs, and traveling over dirt and gravel,” he said. “A perfect bike for the Palouse to Cascade Trail that runs right through campus.”

This initial fleet of bikes is intended as a pilot program, in order to gauge campus interest in the service. While the bikes are currently put away for the winter, they will become available to students in spring quarter. Hesch looks forward to seeing the Bike Share program in action, and the opportunity to continue building out her idea.

“One of the main outcomes I’m hoping for is to demonstrate that students are interested and will take the initiative to bike instead of drive when the resources are made available to them,” she said. “I’d love to see the program continue to grow if the interest exists, but the first step is just testing the waters.”

The Bike Share pilot program has become a passion project for Hesch, who extends her gratitude to all of the CWU staff and faculty support she’s had to put her idea into action.

“The process of implementing the Bike Share program has been long, but it’s been a labor of love,” she said. “I’m so grateful to everyone who has assisted me in any way in this process, Jeff (Bousson) and Jordan (Spradlin), the Student Green Fund Committee, Logan (Scully) and the OPR team, Susan Kaspari, the team at Priority Bicycles, and everyone in Contracting and Marketing who helped get it off the ground.”

The CWU Bike Share program is a Student Green Fund initiative.