Campus Bikes: Transportation Benefit or Burden?

If you spend much time out and about, you know that bikes have made a comeback in Silicon Valley and throughout the Bay Area. While they’re popular on the streets, they are even more plentiful on office campuses, especially large ones with multiple buildings. People hop on bikes to travel to different buildings instead of driving their vehicles or taking lengthy strolls.

Campus bikes can be extremely beneficial to both employees and facilities managers, but they also bring some burdens along for the ride, as well. Fortunately, there’s a solution to the burdens so that employers and employees can enjoy the benefits without the drawbacks.

Learn about campus bike benefits and burdens. Then discover the simple solution.

Benefits of Bikes on Campus

Some of the biggest tech companies have embraced bicycles for employees due to the benefits. First and foremost, biking reduces transportation time, which increases productivity. Without bicycles, employees have two choices, and neither is ideal. One, they can get in their vehicles, drive to the building, and then try to find parking. What could have been a short five-minute bike ride turns into a 20- or 30-minute ordeal.

Second, they can ride public transportation to a stop that’s closer to the location. Then they have to take a brisk walk to their destination. Again, this is a huge time-waster, and it also costs money. That’s not ideal, either. Biking solves both problems by ensuring that people get to their destinations quickly without shelling out money for transportation.

Biking around campus also boosts creativity. Between the fresh air and the exercise, bikers enjoy a rush of endorphins that provide a nice creative boost. Biking can make meetings and brainstorming sessions much more productive.

Finally, biking is a sustainable form of transportation. Many Silicon Valley companies understand the importance of green living. Making employees burn fuel to travel around campus goes against that belief, so biking is a must.

Burdens of Bikes on Campus

Biking on campus can also create some pretty significant burdens. First, there is the traffic. Bikes, pedestrians, and vehicles often fight for a share of the roads. This can lead to lots of near misses and some serious accidents.

Bikers also experience other safety hazards. Graveled corners, potholes, cracks, and other issues are threats to bikers. If these hazards aren’t properly identified, bikers can wipe out on the way to important meetings.

Speaking of safety hazards, bike clutter is another issue that companies face. While companies love it when employees bike around campus, the higher-ups can’t help but feel a bit perturbed when they go outside and see bikes discarded throughout the campus. Employees tend to set bikes off to the side when they’re done, and as the hours pass, the number of discarded bikes piles up. This is a hazard for pedestrians and an eyesore.

Lost and stolen bikes are also an obstacle. Employers have important work to do, and that doesn’t involve acting as the bike police. They cannot spend their time hunting down lost bikes, and they also don’t want to shell out money to replace bikes that have gone missing.  

Bike availability is another concern for employers and employees. Biking only saves time and increases productivity if bikes are readily available. In the case of bike-sharing programs, employees might go outside to grab a bike, only to realize that there aren’t any available. Then employees have to go to plan B.

The Solution

Are you getting worried about all these burdens? Don’t give up on biking on campus quite yet because there is an easy solution.

All About Parking’s Bike Valet Solution removes all the burdens you face when biking on campus. We monitor and control traffic to ensure safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. We identify and remove bikes from hazardous locations and prevent clutter by gathering discarded bikes and placing them in the proper location.

What about lost and stolen bikes? That problem can’t possibly be solved, can it? It can with All About Parking’s Bike Valet Solution. We track bikes and collect them as needed. Our tracking system means people can’t discreetly remove bikes from campus. Also, if they forget where they left their bikes, we can find them.

We even help with productivity by ensuring bikes are available on demand. If your employees need a bike, they’ll have access to one.

Request a Quote

Learn more about our valet bike solution by getting a free site inspection. All About Parking will inspect your site, provide a quote and when you’re ready, we’ll implement the solution.

By Cedric Jackson via UpWork