The League of American Bicyclists has recognized Towson University with a bronze Bicycle Friendly UniversitySM award. TU is the second university in the state and one of 127 nationwide to earn the designation.
The award recognizes institutions that promote and provide a more bikeable campus. To earn it, universities are evaluated on their efforts to promote bicycling in five areas: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement and evaluation/planning. The designation is good for four years.
“When you think about the impact on decreasing our carbon footprint, reducing healthcare costs and adding to the campus culture, investing in bicycling just makes sense,” said Campus Planning & Sustainability Manager Patricia Watson. “We’re thrilled to be recognized for our work to support biking on campus and beyond.”
This past summer the university installed a bike fix station outside the Union to make bike tools—including an air pump—more accessible to students, faculty and staff. Free bike maintenance and safety workshops were also held throughout the year. In addition, TU offers a number of free bike rentals to students through Campus Recreation.
“In its fourth year, we’ve seen the Bicycle Friendly University program reach an exciting level of growth and momentum, as more and more campuses support bicycling in new and innovative ways,” said Amelia Neptune, the League’s Bicycle Friendly University program manager. “Towson University is no exception: from the annual BikeFest event to the Tiger Treads bike club, we applaud Towson for its bicycle-friendly innovations, and welcome the campus as a new Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly University!”
As a Bicycle Friendly UniversitySM, Towson University gets access to a variety of free tools and technical assistance to become even more bike-friendly. To learn more about the Bicycle Friendly America program, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/BFA.
