The Learning Network Blog: Student Opinion | Would You Want a Bike Share Program for Your Community?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

New York City is in the second week of its bike share program, joining other major cities like Boston, London and Mexico City.

Would you want a bike share program for your community?

In the article ӀOut for a First Spin: CityҀs Bike Share Program Begins,Ԁ Matt Flegenheimer writes about last weekҀs kickoff for bike sharing in New York.

By midafternoon, the passing flickers of blue were already ubiquitous ׀ negotiating light taxi traffic in the West Village, hurtling through the protected lanes of Midtown, drifting toward the Brooklyn waterfront.

For the first time, under cooperatively clear skies, New Yorkers sat astride the cityҀs first new wide-scale public transportation in more than 75 years: a fleet of 6,000 bicycles, part of a system known as Citi Bike, scattered across more than 300 stations in Manhattan below 59th Street and parts of Brooklyn.

There were kinks in the systemҀs early hours. A bike was swiped on Sunday as crews worked at the last minute to fill the stations. A mail delivery snag left as many as 200 members without access to the system. Some tourists dipped credit cards in vain for minutes, unaware that the program was initially open only to annual subscribers.

But MondayҀs riders were, by definition, an eager and forgiving cross section: founding members who registered for a yearly pass for $95, allowing them to ride between stations for as long as 45 minutes with no added charge.

Students: Tell us ŀ

Would you want a bike share program for your community? Why?How safe is biking in your neighborhood?Do you think more people would bike to work or the store if bikes were somehow shared?Can you imagine sharing more things with strangers besides bikes, like college textbooks, a prom dress or even a car?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

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ZipCars Provide LMU Community with Transportation Alternative

No car? No problem, as more and more LMU students are finding out.

From the cost of gas to the growing desire for sustainability, more students have discovered that bringing their own car to campus isnҀt the best choice for them. ThatҀs where ZipCar, a car-sharing service available at LMU, comes into play.

ӀCollege students do not necessarily need access to a car all of the time,Ԁ said Carolyn French, assistant director of Campus Recreation at LMU and coordinator of the ZipCar program. ӀZipCar allows them to have one when they need it.Ԁ

The service is simple. Eligible students (at least 18 years old with a clean driving record for at least a year) can go online to sign up and reserve one of the eight available cars on campus for any day of the week, any time of day. ZipCar charges hourly or daily rates.

The program provides various benefits. Users donҀt have to pay for LMU campus parking, or for gas, insurance or maintenance, since ZipCar covers those costs. ThereҀs also no search for somewhere to park, because there are reserved spaces near Rosecrans Hall.

ӀThe number one benefit of the ZipCar program is its flexibility, in that the students have the freedom to go wherever they want, whenever they want for a pretty minimal fee,Ԁ French said. ӀStudents can leave campus at their leisure without the large expense and hassle that comes from bringing their own car.Ԁ

Zach Soliz, a sophomore business major from Dallas, takes advantage of the ZipCar service instead of bringing a car from home. As a full-time student who lives on campus, he figured he didnҀt need a car that often. But as an aspiring actor, Soliz uses ZipCar when he needs to drive to and from auditions around Los Angeles.

ӀZipCar was perfect for me,Ԁ Soliz said. ӀI was able to reserve a ZipCar with no problems, whether it was for an audition or to explore the city.Ԁ

The program isnҀt just for students, though. Anyone in the area who is a ZipCar member can use the cars at LMU just like any other available ZipCar.

For more information on the ZipCar program at LMU, click here.

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