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Madison, WI — Today’s universities are discovering that they need to operate more like a business than an institution. And it’s no secret that a business needs customers in order to be successful. What’s more, in order to draw in and retain those customers, they know that they need to provide them with the products and services they both need, and desire. In the university setting this includes providing students with amenities that fit their lifestyles.
The University of Wisconsin – Madison knows that they need students in order to exist, so they have focused on a creating a community that offers a positive, supportive place to work, live, and learn. This includes creating living environments that are, smoke-free, substance free, co-ed, and multi-cultural. They also provide students with many alternative transportation services including, free bus passes for all over the city, an emergency ride home service, carpools, bike paths, flex parking, and recently they’ve also added bike lockers.
The response to the bike lockers, in particular, has been very positive. In fact, there has been such a high demand for the lockers, UW – Madison officials decided to expand the
number of lockers they have this year, bringing the total number of lockers on campus to 35. And already, all of those lockers are rented, and there is an extensive waiting list for any lockers that may become available.
American Bicycle Security Company bike lockers provide the University with many benefits, they help to reduce traffic and congestion in and around the campus, and they encourage students and staff to use an environmentally friendly mode of transportation. What’s more, unlike racks, the lockers totally enclose the bike, providing protection from the elements and from theft.
One of the other reasons the University may have elected to install bike lockers is due to the fact that there is limited parking on campus, and for those 5,800 students who live on campus, there is no parking available at all. And what’s the next most viable form of transportation next to the automobile? Bicycling. For those who may be reluctant to commute by bike the lockers provide them with the piece of mind they need to commute — they know their bike will be there, when they come out of class, with all of its parts still on it, and they will have a dry seat to sit on.
“The lockers are a great incentive for people to commute to campus in all types of weather,” said Alison Carpenter, University of Wisconsin Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator.
“They are also a wonderful addition to the many other incentives we provide on campus, all of which directly, and indirectly, encourage the use of alternative transportation,” added Carpenter. Currently, The lockers are rented to students and staff per-semester, or annually, at a rate of $31.50/semester, $21.00/summer, or $84/per year.
The University elected to install American Bicycle Security’s model number 302, which can hold two bikes in each locker. While American Bicycle Security offers many locking options, including electronic locks, and coin operated locks, administrators at the UW – Madison elected to go with Medeco High Security T Handle Locks, which are recessed into the face of the door and feature and internal bar locking system, allowing for optimum protection.
According to Carpenter, they haven’t had any break-ins to the lockers, and they have been very easy to manage. “We haven’t had any problems with the lockers, the installation went well, and quickly because of the pre-assembled condition. The other brand of lockers we’ve used, had to be taken apart and reassembled when relocated for
construction or other purposes,” she said.
What’s more, their lockers do not share any common walls so they can stand alone, or group together. They are also the first one piece lockers available that are not made of molded of soft and flammable HDPE plastic material. Since the lockers are constructed
out of fiberglass reinforced plastic they are highly resistant to impact, stains, and will not corrode.
For more information about the University of Wisconsin – Madison please visit:
www.wisc.edu
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