Syracuse University has, like any smart institution, attempted to brand itself as environmentally conscious. According to a Sept. 30 Daily Orange article, SU is one of the largest private universities to commit to a net zero greenhouse gas emissions plan, estimated to be completed in 2040. Currently, roughly 35 percent of the university’s annual electrical usage is represented in its purchasing of Green-e certified energy certificates, which are meant to reduce the university’s overall environmental impact.

A recent protest urging SU to divest from fossil fuel industries is the latest action on campus emphasizing sustainable energy reform. In addition, over 100 SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students attended the climate march in NYC earlier this month.

SU and its student body are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. It’s time for the university to take another, easy step toward becoming more eco-friendly: a bike share program.

A Sunday East Village Magazine article reported that the University of Michigan-Flint will reintroduce its campus bike share program. University bike shares are on the rise and quickly gaining speed.

ESF joined hundreds of colleges nationwide last year with the launch of its new bike-sharing program. For a $20 membership fee, ESF students are entitled to unlimited rides throughout the year, according to college’s website.

Communal transportation is also on the rise, as exemplified by the international success of Zipcar, a car sharing program which shares similarities in structure to bike shares worldwide. To me, there is absolutely no reason why SU shouldn’t take the next step and create a bike share system on and around campus.

The risks are low. In ESF’s model in order to access a bicycle, students are required to sign a waiver form acknowledging that they assume any risk that occurs to them while riding. With injury liability accounted for, there are no downsides.

A bike share system will not only reflect well on the university but will be well received by the students. Effective yet cheap, a bike share program could help anyone and everyone.

Whether a student misses the South Campus bus and needs to get to class or a Euclid house dweller just wants to feel the breeze on his way to campus, there is no one way to use a bike share system.

A bike share could also serve as a great tool for freshmen who generally lack access to cars to explore the city more conveniently and time sensitively.

It would make most sense for this system to be seasonal. There is a reason seeing a biker in a Syracuse winter is a rarity. The ice creates treachery at every moment and although the university would not be liable for any crashes, violent accidents involving a university-sanctioned bicycle would be unfavorable. The impending winter would be the right time to organize the system, completing all necessary paperwork for spring 2015.

SU should stay consistent with its sustainable mission and implement a campus-wide bike share system.

Azor Cole is a junior public relations major and geography minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at azcole@syr.edu.

Published on October 8, 2014 at 12:03 am