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Bike share programs becoming more popular

Ellen Abbott
/
WRVO News

The bike share movement is spreading in Syracuse. Syracuse University now joins SUNY ESF in offering students the chance to borrow a bike for a limited time.

  Syracuse University senior Danielle Lopez, a member of student government, has made it her mission to start the program at SU. Lopez says she always heard students, especially from the West Coast asking why there isn’t a bike sharing program on campus.  She starting looking at other schools to see what was happening there.

"Every time you try to implement something, you always compare yourself to other institutions. And in fact, other schools do have this program, in fact our neighbors have this. So we figured it would be something that would be beneficial for the students," said Lopez.

It’s a pilot program for now, using five bikes culled from almost two dozen that were left on campus last summer. The program will be available five days a week.

Credit Ellen Abbott / WRVO News
/
WRVO News

If there is more interest, Lopez hopes the program can be expanded and integrated in SU’s master plan for the school’s infrastructure.

“Maybe there is a high demand for it. And maybe students want it for an entire week, and that can be easily implemented in the future,” said Lopez. “Maybe they want it at different stations. So far we have it on main campus. But maybe they want it at the warehouse, maybe at south campus.” 

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.