Walking down the mall and around campus, there are the runners, the joggers, the backwards-walking tour guides and the stressed out students sprinting to Harper. It is not often, however, that you see people biking around; yet there are always bikes in the bike racks.
Many people own bikes, but either don’t bring them to campus or let them sit around unused. When they need to go somewhere that is too far to walk, they usually choose to drive. In order to promote the use of bicycles at Creighton and to make bikes a viable option, the Facilities department, Public Safety and the Department of Residence Life are working together to open the Creighton Cooperative Bike Project (CCBP).
“After winter, people want to dust their bike off, but don’t always know how to do the basic maintenance,” bike enthusiast and assistant professor of Communication Studies Samantha Senda-Cook said.
Senda-Cook was involved in the planning and organization of the CCBP. CCBP will be located in the Mechanical Room of McGloin Hall and will be open for the Creighton Community to visit and work on their bikes in.
The emphasis will be on teaching skills and techniques that people could take away, rather than simply a place to get bike repaired.
“It will be a place for people to come and learn how to fix their own bikes,” Creighton Sustainability Council coordinator Mary Duda said.
Duda added that this project was possible with the help of the Community Bike Project of Omaha. This is an organization that seeks to promote the bicycle as a “viable, reliable, and fun” method of transportation, according to their mission. The Community Bike Project of Omaha has provided CCBP with all of the tools necessary to operate.
Going forward with this project, the organizers are looking for a work-study student who has knowledge of bicycles and their maintenance to keep regular hours next semester. In addition, they are also looking for some help from volunteers with running the bike project. Any students who are interested in the project should contact Senda-Cook.
According to Senda-Cook, the goal is to get more people to start biking and to make them feel more confident and comfortable with using a bicycle as a feasible form of transportation. Keep an eye out this fall for more students and staff transitioning to bicycles around campus.