IU South Bend is part of the city of South Bend’s pilot bike share program. The city has partnered with LimeBikes, a dockless bike technology company that provides the opportunity for the public to ride bikes at a low cost.
Students, faculty, staff, and community can find LimeBikes at three locations on campus: along the public right of way on Mishawaka Avenue near the bus stop, by the Schurz Library, and at the River Crossing Community Building.
The LimeBikes smart phone app is required in order to use one of the bikes, which are equipped with GPS trackers. Riders unlock the bike, pre-pay with a credit card, and return it all within the app. It can also find nearby bikes available for use. Unlike most bike sharing companies that require bikes to be returned to a designated bike rack, LimeBikes allow riders to pick up and leave the bikes at any legal bike parking location that is most convenient.
The bike share program is another initiative that reflects IU South Bend’s ongoing sustainability efforts, and is due to ongoing involvement and advocacy from the faculty and staff members on the Sustainability Committee’s Transportation Subcommittee. For the past few years, they have been reviewing the transportation needs of the campus and determining how to best accommodate them in a way that is green. A bike share program offers our campus terrific flexibility around transportation, explains Alison Stankrauff, university archivist and associate librarian, and chair of the Transportation subcommittee. It’s a plus that it’s also environmentally friendly.
Besides the reduced local pollution, bike sharing can benefit the community by offering a cheaper and faster mode of transportation, reducing traffic and parking congestion, and improving public health through increased physical activity. During the initial deployment, the traffic patterns and overall usage of the LimeBikes on campus will be measured to determine if IU South Bend will remain a LimeBikes station.
Along with IU South Bend, other LimeBikes are available at the Potawatomi Zoo, Transpo Station, Western Avenue near La Rosita Ice Cream Parlor, the Charles Black Recreation Center, and the Near Northwest Neighborhood Center. For more information on LimeBikes, please visit their website at www.limebikes.com.
