Not that long ago, seeing a person sitting on their bicycle outside of a classroom was not an uncommon sight.
Up until the beginning of the spring 2009 semester, TJC, a mostly commuter campus, was without any place for bike riders to safely secure their bikes – forcing bike owners to find alternative places to leave them.
“Students were chaining their bikes to trees, buildings, just anywhere that they could, really,” said Bill King, Physical Plant director. “The bike racks are there to serve the students.”
After a struggle to get the needed funds, approximately $1,700, the TJC Bike Club turned to King to ask for the money for the first seven racks out of his budget.
It was too late to apply for student activity fees to use for new racks, so the money had to come from somewhere else.
“We hope to have more [bike racks], but for now we are going to wait to see the usage of them,” said Kahne Parsons, facility sponsor of the Bike Club.
Each bike rack holds five bikes.
The addition of the bike racks to the TJC campus also helps with the school’s recent efforts to “go green.”
“Dr. Metke is very supportive of the project and hopes to move forward with the activities of going green,” King said.
The Bike Club is hoping that with the bike racks now available, more students will consider riding their bikes to campus instead of driving.
Some of the members of the Bike Club agree that not only is bike riding economically and environmentally friendly, it also is good for your health.
“I started riding four years ago. I get a cardio workout, my blood pressure went down and my overall energy level went up,” said Chip Robertson, president of the Bike Club.
“I rode my bike every day to school in high school,” Aaron Buster, Bike Club officer said. “I can get to TJC faster on my bike from Whitehouse than people who are driving.”
More bikes on campus could also help alleviate the parking problem.
“The bike racks give people more freedom to ride on campus and a place to put their bikes up safely,” Emily Phillips, Bike Club officer said.
The Bike Club hopes that as the weather turns warmer, more students will make use of the new racks by riding their bikes to school.
The racks are located near Rogers Student Center, Genecov, Jenkins Hall and Wise Auditorium.
