Bike Week cycles through campus this week, celebrating MTV's national campaign "Break the Addiction."
Bike Week is sponsored by the Environmental Conservation Organization, Baton Rouge Advocates for Safe Streets, Student Government, Department of Transportation and University Recreation and is open to all students, faculty and staff.
Events are happening every day to bring together the themes of community building, healthy lifestyles and responsibility to the environment.
This is the first year Bike Week has taken place.
"We are hoping to make this an annual event on campus," said Leigh Bonfanti, assistant director of Adventure Education.
Bonfanti's role for the week is getting UREC actively involved in the events. UREC hosted an event Monday and will host events Wednesday and Thursday.
Bike Week's purpose is to break addiction to cars in order to reduce traffic, improve air quality and reduce campus emission. The campaign encourages schools to use less energy to prevent climate change and to be independent from oil.
Bike Week is trying to show the University student body how to be more efficient with transportation, plus making the week full of fun activities.
The slogan for Bike Week is "Break the Addiction to your Car." Lauren Stuar, co-president of ECO on campus and economics and international studies junior, said ECO organized the coalition that is sponsoring Bike Week as a part of their campaign to improve transportation options on campus.
"We have been planning for this week all semester, and it is a contribution of our transportation campaign that began last semester," Stuart said.
Moshe Cohen, ECO member and mathematics graduate student, said many organizations on campus would like to see more bicycles. But ECO also wants less automobile emissions.
The Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation wants to see less traffic concerns on and around campus, he said, and the UREC wants to see healthier lifestyles and cycling provides the fitness aspect.
Cohen said the idea began when he met with Bonfanti and learned about the Sport and Adventure Complex and her fleet of Treks.
"Essentially, all of the organizations involved were offering programs to bicyclists before Bike Week came to be," Cohen said. "I simply got all of them to showcase their services at the same time, so that we could build a partnership to foster the bicycling community on and around campus."
Each organization handles different aspects of bicyclists' needs. ECO pushes the environmental benefit of bicycling. UREC handles health and wellness. The Office of Parking, Traffic, and Transportation showcased its annual Bike Auction. B.R.A.S.S. represents the bicycle community as a whole.
"B.R.A.S.S. is a grassroots, community-wide, tax-exempt bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group working toward a safer, healthier environment for bicyclists and pedestrians in Baton Rouge," said the founder and University faculty member Mark Martin. "B.R.A.S.S. is largely supportive of the goal to bring the joy and pleasure of bicycling and walking to the University community and to work with the University to create more and better facilities for bicyclist and pedestrians."
"LSU will benefit if only one more person decides to cut down on the use of their motor vehicle in exchange for using a bicycle or walking. Of course, we hope many more will make this decision," he said.
Martin has been car free for 15 years and thinks fewer cars on campus will improve campus infrastructure and the mental and physcial health of riders and walkers. Walking or riding leads to less stress, a happier outlook, lower weight and better cardiovascular condition.
"Many people do not ride bicycles, in part, because we live in a culture that treats bicycles as toys for children and motor vehicles as adult things," Martin said. "The other major factor is fear. The first thing out of people's mouths is how dangerous riding a bike in Baton Rouge is."
Bike Week started Friday, Oct. 20 and will end Saturday, Oct. 28 with dedication of the levee bike path. Upcoming events include Bike Fest in Free Speech Plaza on Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m, a repair and maintenance workshop at UREC's Sport and Adventure Complex Thursday at 5 p.m. and Critical Mass at the LSU Memorial Tower Friday at 5:30 p.m.
In conjuntion with Bike Week, cycling classes are free for all students and members at the Student Recreation Center. UREC is also giving a 15 percent discount on all items purchased at the Pro Shop at the Sport and Adventure complex on the corner of Gourrier and River Road from Monday, Oct. 23 through Friday, Oct. 27.
Bike Week wants to show bicyclists what the campus community can offer.
"While it may be surprising that these organizations have been working for some time on these issues, it is evident that more needs to be done and that more partners need to come on board," Cohen said.
Get a full schedule of events and details at www.lsu.edu/urec.
----- Contact Allison Kirk at akirk@lsureveille.com
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