{image1}UW-Milwaukee's Bike for Free Program was created in 2002 to encourage students and staff to switch gears from driving to biking to the university. New co-coordinator Kevin LeMoine hopes this fall Milwaukee-area commuters will leave their cars parked at home.
This year is a little different because the program is now part of the University Relations Department. LeMoine, who has partnered with his wife to get this program moving, says the solid funds and sponsorship should help.
"We have close to 80 bikes that belong to the program that have been collected over the years," says LeMoine. And he plans on having 40-45 of those all tuned up by Monday, Sept. 27, the first distribution date for those looking to loan.
Cory the Bike Fixer, who runs an East Side repair shop, has rigged up the bikes needing repair, whether it was new brakes, lights, handlebars or anything else.
"He is well known in the area (for his repair skills), and he has fixed up the bikes for a very good price," he says.
All students need to do is show up with their UWM identification cards, and they can check out a bike for free for the entire school year, it's first come, first served.
"It's been told from past coordinators that most of the people who end up checking out bikes haven't even heard of it before hand," says LeMoine. "And they just see that the bike distribution is happening in the union, and they come up and take a bike."
There will be a check-in date sometime during the middle of the year or the end of the semester so they can make sure "everything is going fine," he adds.
But other than that, LeMoine says it's an easy process because they want the focus to be on why students and staff are riding these bikes home instead of driving their cars.
"Right now a lot of people don't think of it (commuting by bike) as an option," says LeMoine. "They don't realize that if you live five or less miles away from the university that you can get here by bike in 30 minutes."
Besides, the cost of a car alone should steer them toward this program. "Students don't have a lot of money, and it's typical for them to pay a car payment, car insurance, gas, parking and parking ticket fees," LeMoine says.
The motivation for the Bike for Free Program goes well beyond monetary matters, though. LeMoine says they're interested in keeping everyone healthy, from students and staff to the environment.
"We want to get across the idea that bicycling is a commuter option, in fact it should be respected rather than looked down upon. So, ultimately we want to create the culture of bicycling at UWM," he says.
The first distribution is Monday, Sept. 27, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on the UWM Concourse. Bikes are equipped with locks and lights. For more information, e-mail Kevin LeMoine at klemoine@uwm.edu.
