Purdue News

August 13, 2004

Purdue police to provide bikes for students to share on campus

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Police Department will unveil a program designed as step to creating a more bicycle-friendly environment on campus.

In the new school year, the department will distribute 24 bicycles around campus for student use. Students can pick up the bikes, ride them to any location on campus and leave them in the new location for other students to use.

Details of the program will be announced at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday (Aug. 17) in Elliott Hall of Music as part of Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue's new-student orientation program.

Deputy Chief Steven R. Dietrich said the Gold Bike Program is designed to provide students with an alternative to using cars when crisscrossing campus between classes that are long distances apart.

"Initially we will leave the bikes in areas where we see a lot of bicycle traffic – near the residence halls, Lambert Fieldhouse and Lilly Hall of Life Sciences," Dietrich said. "As time goes on, student use will dictate where they are located. They will naturally be left in those high-need locations."

Each of the 24 bikes will be painted bright gold and will have an orange license plate to identify it as part of the program. All of the bikes being used have been abandoned on campus and left unclaimed at the police department.

Dietrich said that in addition to helping students travel more easily on campus without adding to congestion, he hopes the program will reduce the number of campus bicycle thefts. Most of the bike theft at Purdue happens when a student wants to use a bike to cross campus and takes one that isn't locked to a rack, he said.

"The 24-bike program is a small first step in a program that I hope to see grow," Dietrich said. "This is a way to take these abandoned bikes and, at almost no cost, put them back into the campus community. Anything the police department can do to encourage bicycle use on campus is a positive step. We encourage students to 'Reach for a Gold One' when they are traveling on campus."

Dietrich said students should contact the police department at (765) 494-8221 if program bikes need repairs or abandoned bikes need to be collected.

The Gold Bike Program is the latest step in the police department's efforts to increase bicycle use on campus. In April officers used special patrols to educate students about bicycle laws and safety.

Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu

Source: Steven R. Dietrich, (765) 494-8221, srdietrich@purdue.edu

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