Brown bikes?

By Alex McArthy

The Green Bikes have been a huge change on campus, or so it seems. Anywhere you go on campus, the presence of the Green Bikes can be seen. The bike racks, signs, and even the three-wheeled vehicle that carries them around are everywhere. Yes, the Green Bike program is well known. But why doesn’t anyone ride them? Besides the Green Bike workers, or the student randomly riding around campus after a party got broken up, there really seems to be no one using the expensive Euro-bikes. As they sit out in the elements, not being used day after day, I wonder if these Green Bikes will rust and turn into Brown Bikes?

I have been pondering this question as to why no one uses them, and have come up with a few different theories. The first one is an obvious possibility; no one needs one. With the size of our campus, any able-bodied person can get from O’Brien to the Graham School in a five minute walk. Add the fact that with regular shuttle service going to each of the off-campus locations, who would choose riding down busy Pulaski Avenue?

Another possibility might be their sleek design -- or lack thereof. Though they are equipped with a beautiful big wire basket, fancy cutout advertisement (of the Green Bike program), and thin tires reminiscent of the bikes in the 80’s, they are just not appealing to your average college student, or even adult for that matter.

Still, the first two possibilities would not be enough to hold back the eager student looking to hop on a bike and blaze around Lake Marion. (The school received many complaints about a lack of bikes on campus, so they put the numerous concerns and problems aside and tackled this important issue first.) So what else might it be?

I point to the fact that the computers on the bike racks are agonizingly slow. Yes, it is worse than listening to Mariah Carrey’s new song “Obsessed.” If they are not broken down, the computers can take out any time saved by riding the bike to your desired destination. Last year, I personally tried to rent a bike, and gave up after about five minutes of waiting only to read “error.”

I hope by now you have sensed my sarcasm, but the program still has positive features. It is a step in the right direction and it shows our concern for the environment and enforces the idea of our campus going “green.” The program has a staff of numerous full- and part-time employees, so I am sure we will be seeing progress through out the year and the bikes will not become ”Brown Bikes.”

Alex McArthy is a sophomore political science major from St. Louis, Missouri. He is an RHA National Communications Coordinator, president of the Cougar Crazies, a Public Safety supervisor and an SXU Student Ambassador. Consideration for the student bloggers is provided by Saint Xavier University.