Seniors plan a shared way to cross campus

While preliminary plans for a Philadelphia bicycle-sharing program are in the works, a more local plan is developing in Penn's own backyard.

Engineering seniors David Gorski, Baris Seven and Gabriel Kaplan have put together a proposal for a program called PennBikeShare for their senior design project.

According to the proposal, the Penn bicycle-sharing program would be centered around five bicycle rental "hubs" on campus. These hubs would be located at the Penn Bookstore, Mayer Hall, Levy Tennis Pavilion, Civic House and the Music Building.

The students currently lack an investor who would enable them to begin the program, which they estimate would cost about $1 million to implement. They said they plan to discuss the program with University officials, on a date yet to be determined.

The proposal estimates a $60 annual subscription fee for students, with per-use fees of $1 for each hour after the first 30 minutes and a maximum of $8 a day. Students would also be required to give a $150 security deposit that would be returned at the end of the year if no damages were reported.

The bike-share idea was inspired by long walks across campus between apartments and classes.

Gorski said he felt this sentiment was characteristic of many Penn students, particularly as the campus expands eastward.

"What ends up happening is you have these trips whose distances are too long to walk comfortably, too short to own a car," he said.

Another concern for PennBikeShare is West Philadelphia's high crime rates. However, Gorski, Seven and Kaplan said they aren't daunted by the possibility of theft - they plan to use deter criminals by using bicycle parts that can't be used with other bikes and a distinctive color and style in order to prevent theft.

Penn students had mixed feelings about the usefulness of such a program, though several said they thought there would be some interest.

"I personally wouldn't be interested because I'm not used to biking in an urban setting," College senior Anna Hartley said. "But my roommates would probably be interested."

College senior Dominique Poncelet said her friends who would otherwise like the idea already own their own bicycles.

"They've already invested in nice bikes, so they wouldn't really have a use for it," she said.

Interest in bicycle-sharing programs on college campuses is not unique to Penn - the Massachusetts Institute of Technology attempted a similar program called MIT TechBikes in 2004, and a bicycle-sharing program will be launched this fall at the University of Washington.

Gorski said PennBikeShare gives the proposed Philadelphia-wide program momentum.

"I think it would help to create a buzz around the whole public-use bicycle systems that are developing all around the world," he said.

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