Penn State Intercom......October 3, 2002
High-tech
unit uses low-tech
approach to getting around
on the University Park campus
By Gary Cramer
Public Information
and John Dixon
Information Technology
Services
They
direct Internet traffic for millions of e-mails each week, pave the way
for computer networking between buildings and campuses, and bridge great
distances with high-tech videoconferences, but getting to appointments
on time over the crowded sidewalks and streets of the University Park
campus has some of Penn State's "information superhighway" experts riding
a low-tech solution.
Rather than get huffy about lost time en route to meetings and chores, managers with Information Technology Services (ITS) last month pedaled out a fleet of bicycles for its staff and student assistants to use on a voluntary basis. The nine, four-speed Trek Cruisers are equipped with helmets, storage baskets and combination locks. In case of emergencies, tire pumps and patches are kept at the sites most frequently traveled between by ITS personnel -- the Computer Building, Pattee Library and Paterno Library, University Support Building II (USB2), Willard Building and Shields Building.
"In good weather, they're wonderful," Kathy Deck, information technology associate, said of the bikes. "Those of us out in USB2 don't have the advantages of walking or the Campus Loop that central campus people have, so we rely heavily on the shuttle. But sometimes you need to make a quick trip, and just grabbing a bike and being able to go between the shuttle runs is very convenient.
"It's very good for health -- mental health, especially," added Deck, who previously had not ridden a bike for years. "Some days, getting out on a bike really clears the mind between meetings."
Jeff Kuhns, senior director for consulting and support services, said that the bike idea sprang from collective brainstorming with various colleagues. He dreams of a day when a superfleet of pink and black (the original Penn State colors) bikes are freely available across campus for anyone's use. Meanwhile, it was bike enthusiast Tracy Leitzel, administrative assistant with the Office of the Senior Directors for three ITS units, who used her experience to select the style and brand of bikes for the more modest existing program. She also coordinates the bikes' upkeep with help from ITS volunteers and The Bicycle Shop in State College.
"Depending on demand and enthusiasm, we plan to increase the number of bikes," Leitzel said. "New ones may be a different type, since all we have now are 'male' frames, but these are working out rather well. I just love it because it helps me get to meetings much faster than I have in the past. Parking is never a problem."
With the understanding that the bicycles are available strictly for business purposes, at least seven ITS staff and student assistants have become regular riders, according to the program's promoters. Besides their convenience, the bikes merge nicely with Penn State's new intermodal transportation plan for reducing vehicle traffic and parking congestion on campus, according to the ITS TechNews electronic newsletter.