TO THE EDITOR:
Over the last two weeks, the Tar Heel Bikes Steering Committee has been running a campaign to bring a smart bike share system to UNC. We have secured over 1,200 signatures on our online petition and gathered letters of support from numerous campus organizations such as the Residence Hall Association and Student Government. Our aim is to deploy about 100 shared smart bicycles around campus by securing a small raise in the Student Transit Fee. This student-led effort would catapult UNC to become one of the largest public universities to have such a system.
As an international student, I can speak to the benefit that bike sharing would have for many for the out-of-state student population. By removing the need to ship a bike to the U.S., or buy one here, biking becomes considerably more accessible. The same benefits apply to students living off campus, who will be able to bus to campus and then ride to class.
We are very enthusiastic about gathering student input for system design, particularly for characteristics such as size and station placement. We have a link to our online petition and more information about the next-generation bike share at www.tarheelbikes.com. Most importantly, we invite students to come to our Bike Share Forum today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in room 2518A of the Student Union. We will be providing refreshments. We look forward to seeing you there and hearing your vision for the future of biking on campus.
Alex Clayton ’17
Peace, war and defense
