Bikes on Campus

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
1

My son expressed an interest in taking his bike to school. He’s an incoming freshman who is living in Witte. His furthest class is only a 15-minute walk but he always liked to bike to/from high school before he started to drive. He says it “clears his head”.

At SOAR, I remember hearing the “Cheap bike, expensive lock” recommendation and we have that covered. Are there sufficient bike racks outside of the dorms, libraries and academic buildings? Is it a convenient and safe way to get around? I’d like to take the bike with us on move-in day. If we “wait to see” I probably couldn’t get it to him until mid-October.

Thanks in advance!

2

Bascom Hill is a bit of a disincentive for bike riders . . .

My kid took a bike, used it a couple times, then stopped as he said walking was easier. If your son enjoys that “down time” it may be worthwhile, and there are plenty of bike racks around campus buildings. However, there is not covered storage for winter, so the bike would need to come home for several months.

3

Thanks for your reply. We still haven’t decided about the bike :). I think we’ll just take it and if he doesn’t use it, we can bring it back with us on parents weekend.

4

For years these were more common than bikes. http://razzelberry.blogspot.com/2012/10/project-365-day-230.html

5

Yes, there are bike racks outside pretty much every campus building—biking is very popular. The bike lane on University is very clearly defined and wide (this would probably be the main road your son would take from Witte to his classrooms). In general I’ve always felt safe biking on campus, and bringing my bike was one of the best decisions I’ve made transportation wise. From my experience, bike theft is not a big concern on campus.

No one rides a bike up Bascom Hill because it’s pedestrian only, and if he has a class in Bascom hall, I recommend parking his bike between the Physics building and the botanical garden and walking the side path up Bascom. Otherwise, the biggest hill you’d have to go up is Charter St, but there is a midway point where it intersects with Linden Dr. with lots of bike racks on both sides of the street and easy access to any building on Charter.

If you don’t want the hassle of transporting the bike back home over the winter, Ogg residence hall (a block away from Witte) has a covered bike parking lot—there are no bike parking permits or stickers, so as long as you find a spot, you can keep your bike there over the winter.