The Downtown campus student government is currently in the proposal phase of approving a bicycle locker for the downtown campus in addition to renovating the current racks on Taylor Mall.
USGD is considering a $70,000 plan to enhance bike locking and storage options by creating a separate and secure gated area for students in the University Center garage.
An increase in students brought a need for more bike racks, along with the need for safety provisions to decrease bicycle theft, USGD Vice President of Policy David Bakardjiev said.
The project will be approved by the end of this semester, in production by next semester and finished by the end of next semester, Bakardjiev said.
“It promotes community engagement,” Bakardjiev said. “Just having this might be an excuse for students to have a bike, now that they feel safer.”
Director of Administration Jacob Meshke said that the new bike locker will fit up to 80 bicycles, with possible safety features such as security cameras and a door activated by Sun Cards.
But the updated features will come a cost; although nothing is determined, the fee will likely be somewhere between $20-$25 per month.
“I find it hard to put my bike anywhere because it’s crowded,” health sciences junior Brittany Barbarisi said. “But I probably wouldn’t pay for the locker.”
Social work grad student Chris Harris said that he might pay the fee, but it depends on the quality of security.
“An insurance policy is ideal,” Harris said, who suggested a set of different plans for students to choose from with separate benefits in terms of security or theft coverage.
Others, like human nutrition senior Christopher Bradshaw, believe the new bike lockers are unnecessary and there is plenty of place to add more bike racks between the existing racks at Taylor Mall.
“I have never had a problem with theft or space,” Bradshaw said. “But I wouldn’t want to put my bike in (the locker) even if you needed a Sun Card, because someone could just walk inside.”
There have been 14 reported bike thefts during the fall semester on the downtown campus alone, Commander Christopher Speranza of the ASU Police Department said.
Speranza believes the number of thefts on the downtown campus is below the national average for college campuses, but he said just one bicycle theft is too many.
To eliminate future thefts, Speranza recommends students to register their bikes with the ASU Police Department and to use both a U-lock and cable lock for securing bicycles.
“It is a lot harder to defeat two locks instead of one,” Speranza said.
Contact the reporter at nbarret1@asu.edu
