Wheels Fit for a Wildcat

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 25, 2010) – Warm breezes swirl around the Patterson Office Tower, and the sun is finally making more than a rare appearance. Forsythia and daffodils are blooming, and young trees are sprouting bright green leaves. More bicycles are wheeling across campus, as envious pedestrians eye the smiling bikers gliding effortlessly to class.

But there's a new option for those jealous pedestrians who don't own a bicycle. University of Kentucky Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library has recently expanded the Residence Hall Bicycle program from a pilot fleet of 12 bikes to 42, thanks to the funding support of UK’s Student Government, Student Sustainability Council (SSC) and Resident Student Association.

The expansion is the result of new partnerships and the immense success of the spring 2009 pilot program, said Sustainability Coordinator Shane Tedder.

"As the organization responsible for allocating the student environmental stewardship fee, the SSC is happy to further expand the campus' alternative transportation options," said Taylor Shelton, chair of the Student Sustainability Council.

"The success of Wildcat Wheels to this point has been remarkable and is one of the foundations of UK's sustainability efforts. The impact of this investment will not only be immediately seen in the number of students using the new bicycle fleet, but into the future as these bicycles serve as a way of promoting students to invest in their own bicycles and sustainable transportation of all kinds," he said.

The bicycles will be distributed in pairs to all 21 UK residence halls. Resident students can check them out as daily rentals free of charge. Each bike is equipped with a basket perfect for students carrying books to class or just a water bottle for a sunny spring ride around town with a friend.

"The Wildcat Wheels residence hall bike program has been very successful in Holmes Hall," said Farrah Dicken, the facility's hall director and pilot phase participant.

"Students are able to manage their time better. A trip to the grocery or going to a class on the other end of campus doesn’t take as long as it would if a student walked. Even better, that trip to the store doesn’t have the negative environmental impact if the student drove. The bikes have allowed our students to see the positive impact that bicycling can have on one’s personal life and on the environment. Here in Holmes the bikes have been in great demand; there has rarely been a moment when as least one wasn’t checked out," said Dicken.

To learn more about the Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library please visit www.wildcatwheels.org.