Strange how using and modifying existing space helps speed up such a process. Other southern cities looking to encourage biomedical investment through public medical school expansion should take note.
And speaking of using existing space wisely, UGA is looking to buy refurbished bikes and let students check them out, get to class, and then return them when they are done. They'll be called Departmental Bike Fleets.
Even if the pilot program is successful, Kirsche admits, the problem of transportation to campus—as opposed to merely on campus—remains. But he hopes the Departmental Bike Fleet will help create a culture of cycling at UGA that will influence both the university and Athens-Clarke County to be more accommodating of cyclists. “We need to simultaneously work to improve bike networks, but infrastructure is costly," he says. "I think we need to prove that accommodating bicycles is a worthwhile investment before we can expect action.”
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