Lehigh’s Transportation Services and the Office of Sustainability have teamed up to make a bike-sharing system available to Lehigh students, which was marketed at a table at the Bethlehem Farmer’s Market in Farrington Square on Oct. 15.
The bike-sharing program is the third part of an initiative that began a few years ago between Transportation Services and the Office of Sustainability, including the Enterprise CarShare, a car-renting program, and Lehigh Zimride, a carpool program. The goal of Transportation Services and the Office of Sustainability is to enhance transportation options at Lehigh in a clean, sustainable way.
Like Enterprise and Zimride — companies that work with Lehigh to offer alternative car solutions for students — Zagster has partnered with Lehigh to provide the bike-sharing service to faculty and students. Zagster works with other colleges and various kinds of communities to provide not only bikes but also bike docks, sharing technology through its smartphone app, maintenance, 24/7 rider support, network management and insurance to make sure bike sharing runs smoothly.
Zagster powers Lehigh’s new bike sharing system in the Farrington Square parking garage on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. Lehigh Transportation Services has partnered with the Office of Sustainability to provide a bike sharing service for $15 a year. (Catherine Manthorp/B&W Photo)
Lehigh’s bike-sharing service currently consists of one bike dock with 10 bikes, located in the Farrington Square parking garage. Each bike comes with a bike lock, a basket and bells. The bikes are also equipped with a GPS locating system. Bob Bruneio, the manager of Transportation Services at Lehigh, explained it is for not only safety purposes but also accountability of the bike user and to keep track of bikes at all times.
“The bike sharing (program) bolsters our sustainability efforts,” Bruneio said. “It’s a healthy alternative and it’s sustainable.”
Because of the success at other universities and Lehigh’s sustainability initiative, Bruneio said that bike sharing seemed like the perfect “triple crown” of the transportation services, alongside Enterprise CarShare and Zimride. The question everyone may be asking now is: what about the fact that Lehigh’s on the side of a mountain?
“That certainly was a concern for us,” Bruneio said. “But we thought it was a worthwhile project because it gives variety to transportation options.”
While the bike-sharing program is an alternative form of transportation, it’s not just for getting to class and riding around on the hill. The program is also an opportunity for students to have commute in the Bethlehem area without a car.
“It’s a wonderful way for students to explore campus and the surrounding community in a safe, easy and fun way,” said Delicia Nahman, Lehigh’s sustainability officer.
Bruneio said the Saucon Rail Trail and the South Bethlehem Greenway were great trails where the students could go for bike rides, in addition to biking over the bridge to North Bethlehem or to ArtsQuest at the Steel Stacks.
Anna Eggert, ’16, an eco-rep for Lehigh, pointed out that there are other benefits to having the bike-sharing program at Lehigh besides transportation or going for a ride.
“As an eco rep, I think the bikes are a great way to have our campus become more green as well as encourage students to adapt a healthier way of life,” Eggert said. “There’s also nothing worse than getting caught at the Packard crosswalk between classes, and biking would allow a student to get to their class is about the same amount of time without waiting in a line of cars.”
To register, a Lehigh faculty, staff member or student can download the Zagster app or visit www.zagster.com/lehigh. For $15 per year, members of the Lehigh community can take the bikes out for four hours at a time for free. For trips over four hours, a $4/hour fee is in place, with a cap of $24 per ride. There is an additional $24 overtime charge for keeping a bike over 24 hours. Bike users can unlock their bike from the bike dock using the app.
Sustainability was a core force driving the implementation of the bike sharing service, but Bruneio and Nahman agreed that it is ultimately for the convenience and benefit of the students.
“Ultimately, it’s all about the students and offering them the best options we have,” Bruneio said.
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