Amir Vera
Staff Writer
VCU Facilities Management and Sustainability has created a new initiative to reach student cyclists and help members of the VCU community learn about cycling, safety and maintenance.
The program, called RamBikes, is a new comprehensive bike program at VCU with the purpose of helping to educate students on biking around campus, according to Alternative Transportation Coordinator Brantley Tyndall.
Tyndall wants students to gain a full understanding of biking information. Helpful tips such as how to bike, where to bike, what kind of bike to have, all the different ins and outs of activities and groups and ways to get plugged into the biking community are presented in a five-minute interaction at what he calls the RamBikes stand.
A survey was given to about 700 students and the consensus was that students wanted an on-campus location for bicycles,Tyndall said. The stand will be located at 201 N. Belvidere
St. and will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“It functions a lot as an educational bike lounge. I call it a bike lounge because I’d like for the VCU community-with an emphasis on the students- to come and spend a little bit of time there to get to know more about bikes,” Tyndall said.
According to the RamBikes website, there will be a full repair shop for students to work on their bicycle maintenance. The shop will not be in competition with local bike shops around Richmond, but instead will help the VCU community maintain their bikes.
The repair shop will be staffed by “bike ambassadors.” The ambassadors, according to the website, will be there to lead safety and maintenance clinics, give students the best routes to take around campus, as well as helping them find biking organizations around campus. Students will fix their bikes themselves; the ambassadors will simply be there to educate and guide them.
“I’ve recently hired a staff of (seven student) bike ambassadors who are part advocate, part instructor, part mechanic and overall enthusiasts. It’s the experienced bike people at VCU,” said Tyndall. “Their function is largely to be the face of cycling for the VCU community.”
Tyndall said peer-to-peer communication is the best way to spread information about cycling, safety and bike maintenance.
VCU cycling club member and junior physical education major Chris Jones thinks the idea has potential, and thinks safety education is a huge part of being a rider.
“RamBikes is a smart program because it allows people to learn about cycling and commuting, and gives people a place to hangout,” Jones said in an email.
Aside from the new location and the hired ambassadors, the RamBikes stand will also loan bikes. The program already loans distinctive yellow bikes to students for a 24-hour period.
Though no specific date has been set, the RamBikes stand will open in early October.