Spring Break
Ride to raise campus bike awareness
Regina Forker
Issue date: 4/13/05 Section: News
Lisa Aultman-Hall, director of the Connecticut Transportation Institute and a coordinator of the event, is disappointed Connecticut doesn't offer bicyclists enough opportunities to ride.
"I have biked to work everywhere else I have ever lived - it is really sad that I cannot do that here," she said.
"Bicycling is a viable, healthy and clean transportation alternative that would reduce air emissions from use of cars and other vehicles," Aultman-Hall said. "Connecticut lags behind many other states in bicycling and UConn could be a state leader."
Norman Garrick, an associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, is also planning to participate in the ride.
"More bicycle riding means less car congestion - it is a win-win proposition," Garrick said.
"I commute to work every day by bike - winter, spring, summer and autumn," Garrick, an avid bike rider, said. "There is a great deal of latent demand on campus for making the campus more bicycle friendly - the bike ride will increase awareness of this fact."
"It will also help to build coalition of like minded individuals. So called 'alternative' transportation, like walking and bicycling, are frequently neglected by the powers that be without a concerted grass root effort to change the status quo. This bike ride is an early step towards building this grass root coalition," he said.
According to the Connecticut Transportation Institute's Web site, the team of people who organized the bike ride will be recognized for their efforts at an awards ceremony on April 22. They will be receiving a Campus Environmental Leadership Award, which will be presented by university President Philip Austin.
Refreshments will be provided for participants, and a number of prizes will be raffled off as well including a gift certificate from Alternative Spokes, a bike store in Willington, a helmet from Scott's Cyclery in Willimantic and EcoHusky T-shirts among other things.
The rain date for the bike ride is Friday.
"I have biked to work everywhere else I have ever lived - it is really sad that I cannot do that here," she said.
"Bicycling is a viable, healthy and clean transportation alternative that would reduce air emissions from use of cars and other vehicles," Aultman-Hall said. "Connecticut lags behind many other states in bicycling and UConn could be a state leader."
Norman Garrick, an associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, is also planning to participate in the ride.
"More bicycle riding means less car congestion - it is a win-win proposition," Garrick said.
"I commute to work every day by bike - winter, spring, summer and autumn," Garrick, an avid bike rider, said. "There is a great deal of latent demand on campus for making the campus more bicycle friendly - the bike ride will increase awareness of this fact."
"It will also help to build coalition of like minded individuals. So called 'alternative' transportation, like walking and bicycling, are frequently neglected by the powers that be without a concerted grass root effort to change the status quo. This bike ride is an early step towards building this grass root coalition," he said.
According to the Connecticut Transportation Institute's Web site, the team of people who organized the bike ride will be recognized for their efforts at an awards ceremony on April 22. They will be receiving a Campus Environmental Leadership Award, which will be presented by university President Philip Austin.
Refreshments will be provided for participants, and a number of prizes will be raffled off as well including a gift certificate from Alternative Spokes, a bike store in Willington, a helmet from Scott's Cyclery in Willimantic and EcoHusky T-shirts among other things.
The rain date for the bike ride is Friday.