Students at California State University, Fresno will be able to zip around campus on borrowed wheels starting in the spring semester, thanks to a new “Red Bike” program.
Forty-five reconditioned bicycles – 3-speeds, 10-speeds and mountain bikes – are available for the entire semester on a first-come, first-served basis. Beginning Jan. 29 through Feb. 1, the bikes will be available in the Free Speech Area of the campus. There will be a $15 refundable deposit on a Kryptonite bicycle lock, plus a $5 rental fee. The students also receive a bicycle helmet. After Feb. 1, bikes will be available by calling 278-2277.
The Red Bike program, similar to the City of Fresno’s Yellow Bike program, will be managed by the university’s Office of Parking and Transportation. Annette Harvey, who directs Commuter Services, said 10 additional Red Bikes will be placed around the perimeter of the campus to be used by anyone in the university community on the honor system. Those bikes can be picked up and returned to any bicycle rack on the campus, she said.
Harvey said the Red Bike program provides an alternative transportation option for Fresno State students.
“We’re hoping people will use the bikes to commute back and forth to school,” she said. “They’ll save the $54 cost of a parking permit and the expense of gasoline, plus they’ll reduce air pollution and traffic, and the wear and tear on their vehicles.”
The bikes were refurbished by inmates at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga and provided to Fresno State at no charge. Harvey said she expects several more deliveries of bicycles to the university during the spring semester, and they will be made available to students.
For more information, contact Harvey at (559) 278-2277.
