Clint Smith, a sophomore - undeclared: rides his bike along one of the newly-paved bike paths close to the University. The City of Auburn said it has seen more people riding bicycles lately. Rod Guajardo / ASSISTANT PHOTO
With gas prices remaining high and limited campus parking, many students are turning to bicycles as their transportation of choice.
Campus planners are continuing to make Auburn more bicycle-friendly by recently completing a 1-mile multi-use path on Donahue Drive between South College Street and Samford Avenue.
“It has been a missing link for a number of years,” said University engineer Cathy Love. “Now you can ride all the way from campus to Chewacla Park.”
Love said planners will soon begin working on a 1.8-mile path that will run along Wire Road from Samford Avenue to Webster Road. She said the completion date of the path, which will be wide enough for both bikes and walkers, is set for next summer.
A grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation will pay for two-thirds of the $1.4 million path, and the University will pay for the rest.
The two paths connect with existing bike lanes to make transportation easier.
Campus Planning also has more paths planned for the future. During the next two years, a Thach path will connect with the new student housing.
The University also has plans to upgrade its bike racks. Love said the new racks will better support the bikes and prevent scratching.
“With the new racks, you don’t have to pick the bikes up,” Love said. “You can just roll them in. Also, the handlebars won’t tangle up. It’s just better organization.”
The new racks will gradually replace older ones during the next six years, beginning at Haley and working out to other parts of campus.
Love said Auburn has become a more pedestrian-friendly campus in the last several years.
“The core of campus has become a walking and bikingzone,” Love said. “It’s all part of a culture change.”
Students who do not own bikes can still benefit from the new paths and other bicycle-friendly initiatives — they rent them from the city of Auburn.
City bicycle coordinator Brandy Ezelle said the city began a bicycle loaner program in May. The free program allows anyone to rent one of five bikes for a period of two weeks.
She said the demand for the bikes has been high, but the city is looking to add bicycles to its collection.
“We want the program to expand,” Ezelle said.
Love said a bike repair shop will open in the new Student Center sometime in the coming months.
“We have a space saved for it,” she said. “We are just organizing things like staffing still.”
The repair shop also plans to offer a bike loaner system, inspired by the city.
