Photo courtesy of UH Manoa.
By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– The second annual BikeUHM (pronounced “bike-um”), a fair to promote bicycling to the UH Manoa campus, returns to the Hamilton Library Plaza on Wednesday, October 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This year, the University is seeking feedback on how to make the campus more skateboard-friendly and extends a special invitation to skaters.
Dubbed “Halloween on Wheels,” the highlight of BikeUHM 2012 is a costume contest with prizes for best costumes worn by a “Gluteus Ghoul” (cyclist), a “Trick-or-Treater” (skater) and a “Spooky Spokes” (decorated bike). Prizes include gift certificates from BikeFactory Hawaii and WeCar by Enterprise. Judging for the costume contest begins at 12:15 p.m.
Throughout the two-hour event, the student volunteer association Cycle Manoa will be offering bicycle repair assistance, as well as information on bike maintenance and cycling safety. The “Red Hot Ladies” of the Hawaii Bicycling League will hold their popular flat-tire clinic. And Commuter Services will display its new bike repair station, which will be permanently installed in the Athletics Complex.
Additionally, the University’s Campus Security division will be demonstrating how to best secure a bicycle to reduce the chance of theft. Friendly “races” to lock up one’s bike will be staged at a nearby bike rack. Cyclists may challenge one of Campus Security’s Bike Patrol officers and, for correctly locking their bike faster than the officer can unlock his, may win a free bike helmet or first-aid kit. Prizes are provided by Campus Security and Commuter Services.
Of special interest to skaters, BikeFactory Hawaii will present information, displays and skateboarding demonstrations.
Photo courtesy of UH Manoa.
Also celebrating Halloween on Wheels will be representatives from WeCar by Enterprise. Currently on more than 50 college campuses and recently launched at UH Manoa, WeCar is a fully automated, membership-based car sharing program. The three WeCar vehicles on campus are electric hybrids that are parked in reserved stalls around the campus. According to UHM Transportation Demand Management Coordinator Crysttal Atkins, “For those biking, skating or using other sustainable means of transportation, knowing that you have access to a vehicle when you need one is the final piece of the puzzle.”
In a May 2011 survey of UHM students, faculty and staff, 36% of the respondents who do not currently bike to campus stated they would like to do so. The survey also showed that 43% of Manoa affiliates live within three miles of campus, a distance that would lend itself to commuting in ways other than driving a car. To further enhance the cycling experience, the University has implemented Sharrow lanes (shared by both motorists and bicyclists) and free bike parking in any of the more than fifty racks positioned around campus.
BikeUHM 2012: Halloween on Wheels is sponsored by BikeFactory Hawaii; Cycle Manoa; Hawaii Bicycling League; and UH Manoa’s Bicycling Committee (Move with Aloha initiative), Commuter Services and Campus Security.
For more information, see www.hawaii.edu/calendar/manoa/2012/10/31/19749.html or www.manoa.hawaii.edu/commuter.