Should NYU faculty and their dependent children receive full tuition remission?
At the last University Senate meeting, biology professor Carol Reiss stood to speak against an on-campus issue — bicycles, specifically where they're chained.
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NYU wants people to stop storing their bikes on street signs.
Bike racks like these of East Fourth Street will soon become a larger presence on NYU's campus.
"I have been distressed to see the number of bikes locked on street signs, fencing and various forms of scaffolding," she said.
Reiss' complaint is not unfounded. University spokesman John Beckman said students have been storing bikes in inappropriate and unsafe places, including areas across from Bobst Library, the handicapped ramp on Gould Plaza and the scaffolding in front of the Gallatin building.
At the Senate meeting, Reiss proposed that NYU provide sufficient bike storage to meet the needs of the university community. According to Beckman, the university is already working on it; he said "principal storage" will be created behind Tisch Hall after construction is cleaned up in that area.
He added that long-term plans for bike storage through a collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation are in the works; NYU has already met with the DOT about adding more racks near campus.
"There are several plans to install bike shelters throughout the city," a DOT spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not elaborate on details of specific locations and designs.
According to a DOT report released last Monday, the number of commuters traveling by bicycle in New York City increased 26 percent over the last year.
Gallatin junior Matt Finston has been riding his bicycle in New York for three years. He said there isn't enough room on campus to store his bike.
"You make do," Finston said. "Most people have those little locks, but they're not big enough for scaffolding."
Last year, Finston kept his bike at the Palladium storage racks on 13th Street, but he said the space was poorly organized and managed.
Tisch sophomore Jon Trieu stores his bike near Palladium because there isn't enough room on the racks provided.
"[My bike] fits fine in my room, but sometimes it's hard to find space at the bike racks," Trieu said. "I have to put it against a sign or something."
Beckman stressed that there will be a change.
He said: "Arbitrary parking is no longer going to be okay."
Paul DiRocco
Nov 17, 2009
1:24 a.m.
So how exactly has the university "tackled" this issue? Doesn't sound like they are doing much to make bike parking more feasible.
Matt Finston
Nov 17, 2009
9:40 p.m.
Oh Jordan, I said that the small locks are cheaper but more difficult to use and it is becoming increasingly more difficult because we can't use the scaffolds anymore to to lock our bikes. I had to buy a larger and more expensive lock to have the flexibility to secure my bike to wider street posts and trees. It is about time NYU provided the bikers with more parking.
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