JC Porter , Boise State University

 

Home to approximately 20,000 students, Boise State University is a metropolitan campus located in the heart of the state capital of Idaho.  The campus’140-acre urban footprint continues to evolve and change to meet the needs on an ever-growing student population.
Bound by the river to the north and major roadways in the other three directions; access to campus can be hampered by limited available parking.  At Boise State, automobiles directly compete for space with the need for academic centers.  As the campus grows, surface parking lots will slowly be replaced with multi-story parking garages that offer additional parking in the same physical footprint.  The plan for future parking garages will mirror the mixed-use parking/office design of the Lincoln Garage.  The garages help to ease some parking issues but are not viewed as a sole solution to expected future parking problems.  The 1997 Campus Master Plan and recent updates highlight a need to enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians.  Improvements to Campus Lane, University Drive – the main roadway through campus – and the cross-campus bicycle and pedestrian routes will help to reduce modal conflict.  It is recognized that each regular cyclist and transit user decreases the number of structured parking spaces that need to be built, thereby representing substantial savings to the university.  In sum, accommodating bicycling and pedestrians is increasingly important to Boise State University as it is to most other universities and colleges.

So, what specific steps has Boise State University taken to accommodate current bicycle usage and plan for the future?  At the strategic level , the need for a comprehensive bicycle master plan is a given and Boise State has investing in such a plan.  In addition to having a good strategy to support bicycling, there are creative tactics that can be pursued that support the bigger picture of making bicycling more attractive and safer. In this article three specific projects will be presented including what Boise State has coined the Bike Barn, Bike Corral and Bike Pen.  These three projects comprise what is affectionately becoming known as the Boise State Bike Farm.

The Boise State Bike Farm consists of three programs to increase ridership on campus.  The Bike Barn is a secured parking area installed inside an auto parking garage; the Bike Corral is a valet parking program for on-campus events; and Bike Pens are on-street parking bike parking areas made to increase bike parking and enhance pedestrian safety.

Bike Barn

The Bike Barn is a fenced-in facility installed inside one of two of the university’s parking garages.  Its purpose is to provide long-term, secured bike storage for the campus community.   To make room for the facility underutilized car parking spaces underneath one of the garage’s ramps were converted to accommodate bike parking.  Vertical mounted bike racks were installed inside the fenced in area.  Access to the facility is provided via key card access.  In an area that used to accommodate 4 car parking spaces 65 bicycles can now be parked and there is room to push the number to over 100.  This area not only secures the bikes from theft and vandalism, but offers protection against inclement weather conditions.  The Bike Barn can be accessed only by those who have purchased a $15/semester permit.  Users enter by touching their student ID card to the card reader on the door and security cameras monitor the area at all times.  Riders can choose from floor-mounted inverted-U racks or wall mounted hanging racks.  The fencing and card reader cost $5,300 and the bike racks cost $7,400 for a total initial investment of $12,700, or roughly $195 per bike parking space. 

Initial reaction to the Bike Barn has been positive.  After opening in the fall of 2010, about half the available space has been sold.  And the popularity of the facility is great enough that a second Bike Barn will be added to the university’s second parking structure in August of 2011 when that garage doubles in size.  To create additional incentives to use the facility Transportation provides up to five daily scratch off coupons per semester to Bike Barn permit holders.  This helps accommodate bicyclists on days where they may have an appointment not easily accessed on bike or when the weather makes for unsafe cycling. 

Bike Corral

The second member of the Bike Farm is the Bike Corral.  Inspiration for the Bike Corral came from a staff member who was also a triathlete.  While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Competitors need a place to pick up and store their bicycles that is easy to negotiate so as to not waste valuable time transitioning from one sport to another during a race.

Adapted for the campus environment, the Bike Corral is essentially a valet bicycle parking facility used during major special events held on campus.  The parking area is staffed at all times and when cyclists enter the Corral, they are given tickets with a unique  number on it.  Another ticket with a corresponding number is attached to the bike.  Bikes are then placed on collapsible triathlon-style racks and retrieved when the rider returns with their ticket.  The service is free, but donations are accepted.   At Boise State student organizations provide volunteer valet in exchange for whatever donations that are generated by users.  The special bike racks were built in-house for $350 and can accommodate about 200 bikes, or $1.75 per bike..  The Corrals were unveiled during the Boise State vs. Oregon State football game in the fall of 2010 accommodating over 300 bicycles and the Corrals were deployed three more times during that same football season. 

It is critical to find the right location for valet bike parking facilities.  Parking areas must be along major existing bicycle routes, they must be clearly marked and identifiable and valet parking staff must be present at all times, helpful and efficient.  Based on the popularity of the program Boise State plans to offer the Bike Corral at all home games in the upcoming football season. 

Like most college campuses, Boise State offers short-term bicycle parking in many areas of campus.  Presently the campus standard is the inverted U type rack.  But Boise State is also experimenting with other types of short-term bicycle parking facilities including the recently introduced Bike Pen. 

Bike Pen

Bike Pens are three-sided bike racks that are placed in the right of way of streets and against the curb of those streets.  Cyclists enter from the open side of the Pen from the sidewalk thus remaining protected against vehicular traffic.  The Bike Pen is a good option for areas without adequate space to accommodate bicycle parking on sidewalks or otherwise physically constrained areas.  And on the Boise State campus the Bike Pens offer another important benefit.
There is considerable on-street parking on the major roadway that bisects the university.  There are also many pedestrian crossings on that same road and it is often difficult for pedestrians to see around parked cars while entering a marked crosswalk.  When installed on the vehicular approach to a crosswalk the Bike Pen can improve pedestrian site lines and improve crosswalk safety.  Rather than venture into the street to see around a parked car, pedestrians can see over the Bike Pen from the sidewalk.  One pen currently accommodates 16 bicycle at a cost of $2,260 or about $142 per bike.  They are also custom made locally and were installed in downtown Boise prior to being introduced on campus.

Conclusion

Boise State University’s goal is to increase the share of total trips to and from campus by bicycle.  Not only does this support the university’s environmental objectives, but it provides for the opportunity to save valuable resources in deferring the construction of parking facilities and perhaps reduce the overall demand for parking on campus.  What’s more, there is increasing demand for bicycling and therefore more need for additional solutions to accommodating bicyclists.  Boise State has shown a willingness to approach the challenge of encouraging the use of bicycles on campus by applying creativity and seeking out best practices elsewhere.  The Boise State Bike Farm is proof positive that creative solutions don’t necessarily have to break the bank either.