The university’s Office of Sustainability installed eight bicycle repair stations this summer to accommodate what officials said was a growing number of student and faculty cyclists.
Director of Sustainability Kathleen Grady said the university installed six stations on Main Campus and two on the Health Sciences Campus.
Bikers mount their vehicle on a station—located on Main Campus at Anderson and Gladfelter halls, Paley Library, Tuttleman Learning Center, IBC Fitness Center, Tyler School of Art and Polett Walk by the Temple Police substation. The mounting stations allow bikers to tighten screws, inflate tires and fix brake systems.
The Health Sciences Campus has one station by the School of Dentistry and another at the Medicine Education and Research Building.
“We noticed we had a deficit of bike shops close to Temple,” Grady said. “We wanted students to have an opportunity to fix their bikes when the [Breakway Bikes] trailer isn’t open.”
Recently relocated to 13th Street near Norris, Breakaway Bikes services and sells bicycles and accessories from its trailer. But Grady said the trailer is only open Mondays and Tuesdays.
Dero Bike Rack Company installed the stations at a cost of about $1500 each, Grady said. Her department is also responsible for installing the new recycling containers on campus, monthly programming with the Green Council, Campus Sustainability Week, and the Rad-Dish Co-op Cafe that opened last spring in Ritter Hall.
Bike Temple Coordinator Blake Larson said he is excited about the new initiatives Temple has taken to accommodate the biking community.
“The great thing about it is that with the tools they provide. … It’s very comprehensive,” Larson said. “You can repair anything.”
“What’s really exciting is it allows me to put my bike up there to go through and take a look at things,” he added.
Larson and Bike Temple hold bike rides and races as well as bike safety classes, which focus on best practices for biking in the city.
Students are not the only ones making the most of the new amenities. Professor Joseph Alkus from the criminal justice department often bikes to campus.
“I think it’s a great idea, particularly because we are a popular destination for people who bike commute,” Alkus said.
Alkus said Philadelphia’s new bike share program is also convenient for urban bikers.
“If you don’t want the anxiety about where you lock it up or store it, the bike share program allows you to still bike without worrying,” he said.
A monthly membership for the bike share program is normally $15, but from now until October, students can use Indego bikes at a discounted $5 per month with the code “TempleMade15.”
Sequoia Hall can be reached at sequoia.hall@temple.edu or on Twitter @sequoiabriana.
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