The League of American Bicyclists, a grassroots advocacy organization encouraging better bicycling and protecting the rights of people who bike, has honored Colorado State University with a platinum-level Bicycle Friendly University award in recognition of the institution’s achievements in promoting and enabling safe, accessible bicycling on campus.
“It is inspiring to see so many universities committing to the vision of a Bicycle Friendly America,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists.
“These institutions, including Colorado State University, are leading by example and helping to set the standard for better bicycling. Each Bicycle Friendly University acts as a trailblazer to develop and promote safer, more accessible transportation infrastructure and supportive programming for new bicyclists in their communities.”
Light up the night
Free rechargeable bike lights are available to the CSU community this week while supplies last, courtesy of Parking and Transportation Services.
Look for tables from 3-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1, outside the Morgan Library and outside the Rec Center during the same time on Friday, Nov. 3.
The Bicycle Friendly University program now includes 220 colleges and universities in 46 states and the District of Columbia. It is part of the League’s Bicycle Friendly America program, which also awards communities and businesses with certifications as part of its mission to make bicycling safe, comfortable and more accessible for all.
CSU is now one of nine universities across the country to achieve the highest rating and has maintained its platinum status since 2015. The City of Fort Collins is also a platinum-rated community. Ratings are re-evaluated by the league every four years.
“Members of CSU’s Campus Bicycle Advisory Committee worked this spring and summer to compile information about our bicycle education, encouragement, planning and infrastructure changes over the past four years,” said Jamie Gaskill, associate director of active transportation with parking and transportation services. “This application process gave us the opportunity to reflect on the many investments we made in infrastructure and programs to support bicycling during that time. We are particularly proud of our perseverance through COVID, when we continued to improve our bike network and pivot our programming to support this activity that allowed people to move freely and safely during the height of the pandemic and beyond.”
CSU is a leader in promoting bicycling as an option for transportation and frequently hosts guest universities who want to learn how to advance their own programs and infrastructure.
One standout in CSU’s bike profile is a living lab called The Spoke. The student-staffed bike shop offers free learning-based maintenance and repair services from their shop in the Pavilion, as well as their mobile shop. The Spoke is one of many impactful projects funded by the Alternative Transportation Fee Advisory Board.
A few highlights for bikes at CSU over the past four years include:
- Bringing Spin e-bike and e-scooter share to campus.
- New sections of paved trail, including on parts of main campus (separated trail on Hughes Way, Lory Trail) and the Foothills Campus (multi-use trail on Rampart Road).
- Free u-locks provided to students who have their bikes registered with the CSU Police.
- Free e-bikes provided to essential (in 2021) and income-qualified (in 2023) staff through two state grant programs.
Explore CSU biking resources at bicycle.colostate.edu. Learn more about the Bicycle Friendly University program and view the complete list of participants at bikeleague.org/bfu-2023.
