Oct. 13, 2010
Contact:
Jeremy Craig, 404-413-1357
University Relations
ATLANTA — Students, faculty and staff of Georgia State University now have the opportunity to try getting to and moving around campus on two wheels, thanks to a new bicycle sharing program.
GSU Bikes, an initiative to increase bicycling to and from campus and to improve safety for cyclists, is providing several bicycles for the university community to share for up to three days.
“This first wave in bike sharing initiative is to have GSU provide support for bicyclists, and to try to broaden awareness and make it easy to take part in bicycling on campus,” said Carson Tortoridge, the outdoor recreation coordinator of Georgia State and the GSU Student Recreation Center.
Bikes are available through the Student Recreation Center’s Touch the Earth program, which is located at the center on Piedmont Avenue. The rental is free, although renters must put down a $20 deposit.
The program is starting with four bicycles, each equipped with a lock, helmet, head lamp, tail lamp, rear rack, an optional saddlebag and an odometer. Officials hope to expand the program to more bicycles soon.
Funding for the bicycles comes from a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the GSU Bikes initiative.
The new bike sharing program comes as the initiative prepares to participate in Atlanta Streets Alive; the closure of Edgewood Avenue from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 17. The event is intended to create a festival-like atmosphere that will encourage pedestrians and bicyclists to participate in community activities in downtown Atlanta.
GSU Bikes activities at the event include activities at the Edgewood Avenue sculpture studio, recreation classes and music.
Additionally, the GSU Nutrition Student Network will help participants understand how to measure their metabolism while eating and exercising, as well as measure body composition and resting metabolic rates.
GSU Bikes is a partnership of the Institute of Public Health, the Department of Sociology, Recreational Services and the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design.
Those interested in the bike sharing program should visit the website of the Student Recreation Center and the Touch the Earth program, located at www.gsu.edu/~wwwrec. For more information about GSU Bikes, visit www.gsubikes.com.
More information about Atlanta Streets Alive, which is sponsored by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, is available at www.atlantastreetsalive.com.