A safe place for bicycles

Thieves take heed, SF State is now home to the Bike Barn. Opened a little more than two weeks ago, the Bike Barn furnishes a free, safe place to store bicycles during classes, said Transportation Coordinator Patricia Tolar.

"Bike theft is a problem," Tolar said. "Hopefully it will cut bike thefts 100 percent. It will make a difference."

According to the University Police Department there were 70 bikes stolen in 1995 from the campus, there have been 17 thefts this semester alone.

One SF State student learned about the new facility a day late.

"I found out about the Bike Barn a day after my bike was stolen," said Libbie Schock, a liberal studies major, who rides to school depending on the weather.

As well as being fully insured, the Bike Barn is risk-free of theft and can hold at least 100 bicycles. It utilizes a claim-check system, using the student's ID card, Tolar said.

"There's no way they can steal someone's bike," she said.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is giving SF State's Transportation Department $79,000 to implement the facility, which is now set up in temporary quarters.

SF State received the grant through the San Francisco Transportation Authority. Tolar applied to the Transportation Authority, and it turned it over to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The authority receives roughly $20 million a year from a $4 surcharge added to car registration fees, said Thomas Addison, the environmental planner for the Transportation Authority.

The money is then divided up, going toward programs that reduce pollution from cars and trucks. Capital program planner for the Authority, David Chang, said San Francisco receives about $650,000. He said SF State was one of the few places that applied for the grant, so there was no problem in the distribution of the funds. The problem, he said, is changing people's habits.

"This project will be difficult. The biggest obstacle the Bike Barn will face is changing the school's transportation behavior," Chang said. "Riding a bicycle has economic, safety and health values you don't get from cars. It's a good idea that we thought had merit."

While architects draw designs for a permanent facility, the Bike Barn is temporarily in Lot 6 under the gym and across from the stadium, Tolar said.

Managed by the owner of Presidio Bikes, David Urbiztondo, the Bike Barn has a full-time student attendant from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Along with the risk-free storage area, Urbiztondo, a 20-year veteran of the bike business, provides rentals, maintenance and repair of bicycles. For a low fee students can get everything from new chain installations to full-blown tune-ups.

"I can repair anything that has to do with bikes," Urbiztondo said. "I can do repairs while students are in class. I've already done a half a dozen since we opened."

Urbiztondo also said he is arranging for bicycle maintenance and repair clinics. The classes will be taught by Mark Deines, who has 20 years of experience as a bike mechanic and cyclist, Urbiztondo said.

Students can also purchase cycle gear at competitive prices, from saddles (seats) to helmets to pumps at the Bike Barn. The merchandise will be sparse until the area is more secure, Urbiztondo said.

Although the weather has kept a lot of people from riding their bikes, business at the Bike Barn has been steadily picking up, Urbiztondo said. Graduate student Glen Chadwick, who has ridden his bike at least three times a week to school for the last two years, raves about the Bike Barn.

"I had my bike stolen in the fall of '94," he said. "So I used to ride a crappy bike to school, but now I get to ride my new bike here. This is outstanding, it's the best deal on campus. Never in a million years did I think they'd get something like this."

Another user of the newly installed Bike Barn also praises its implementation, but cites one of its main problems.

"I've been going there everyday (since it opened)," said Daniel Darr, an anthropology major. "It provides cheaper services than outside shops. I'll use it all the time (but) I'd use it more if they extended the hours."

Tolar said she is aware of the problem, but said solving it will take time and more money.

"We want to be absolutely ready for all the bikes," she said. "We haven't gotten the OK for later hours. We need approval for having it open that late (7 p.m.), and funding for the attendant."

Despite limited problems, the Bike Barn is making it easier to use an alternative mode of transportation.

"Everyone should ride a bike," Chadwick said. "Parking's a drag, and it's better than taking the goddamn Muni."

[ Golden Gater Online March 12, 1996 ]

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