<p>No campus visit possible at this time... but we wondering if having a bicycle at UNC is a good idea? Or is it too hilly for that? I hear there is "the hill" between South Campus and classes... too uphill for a bike?</p>
<p>Here is a map of bike paths/lanes. From what I understand many students and others ride bikes in the area.</p>
<p>I noticed quite a few bikes on campus...they are quite handy for getting around. No doubt you'll have to pump to get up a couple of the big hills...but there is always that 'coast' downhill that follows. ;) My d has a Vespa and there are many students with various scooters/motorcycles there as well. Even on a Vespa, the big hills can be tough if you have a passenger on board. But she loves having it...and put 1000 miles on the thing while at school!! (She does get a lot of attention, sometimes unwanted, from people who feel compelled to pull up next to her and ask what part of Europe she is from....lol!)</p>
<p>Cars are an impossibility...they have to yield to pedestrians which could be an 'all day affair' at certain times of the day... and the area on campus devoted to parking is pretty thin.</p>
<p>Btw...I would recommend bicycle and scooter riders stay off Fordham (15-501). The traffic is way too heavy and fast...and the shoulder isn't THAT big. It's a major commuter thoroughfare in addition to having heavy student traffic. The feeder roads have a lot of blind curves and winding hills.</p>
<p>(Riomom - I know the big hill you are talking about between South and the Bell Tower. It's not too bad for pedestrians or scooters. My d said the only issue she has is when she has a passenger as I mentioned. Not sure how bicyclists feel about it though. Eadad's son had a bicycle...maybe he'll weigh in.)</p>
<p>My S has had a bike since second semester freshman year (he's now a rising senior and on his second bike) and it has been invaluable for him. He lives off campus but may actually be closer to the academic core than he was when living on south campus.</p>
<p>Parking around campus is difficult at best but there is no shortage of places to park a bike and it can make getting from one side of campus to the other quicker, easier and lees reliant on catching a campus shuttle. His only complaint is that people tend to be oblivious to those riding bikes and he has more than once had to veer off the paths to avoid someone not paying attention.</p>
<p>There's a nice bike shop on Franklin St just past Church St that sells both new and used (trade-in) bikes. His first bike was a used one he bought out of necessity ....8 AM chem class on the total opposite side of campus from his dorm. That bike bit the dust the first semester of this year and we bought him a new one when we visited him on Parent's weekend. You can also pick up bikes at WalMart and Target for a little less money.</p>
<p>My d took her bike the first year and said the sidewalks are too crowded and the streets are too crazy. She walks for takes a P2P bus. HOWEVER, many people love to bike. Scooters are popular as well.</p>