The new bike maintenance clinics go hand-in-hand with the Green Bike Program. By Janel Brown Evergreen staff The WSU Wellbeing program will host free Bike Maintenance Clinics today from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center Backyard.

“We’re trying to promote a bike-friendly culture on campus,” Jamie Bentley, an environmental wellbeing coordinator, said.

Topics covered at the workshops include cleaning your bike, fixing flat tires, situating the seat and adjusting the handlebars to keep the bike in working condition. Safety topics including wearing a helmet and gloves and using lights at night will also be covered.

“What’s really great is that people will bring their own bikes and the guys (instructors) will look at the bike and go over any issues,” Bentley said. “People will walk away with more knowledge and personal experience for fixing their own bike.” The workshops are being held in conjunction with the Green Bike Program designed to encourage WSU students and staff to ride bikes instead of driving.

The Green Bike Program is a bike-share program in which students and staff can check out bikes free of charge to run errands and make small trips on campus. It has been in effect at universities across the nation for at least 10 to 12 years, Bentley said.

“It’s been becoming more and more popular with the energy crisis,” she said.

The pilot program for the Green Bike program has seen success, Bentley said. Last year, from Aug. 12 to Nov. 18 and continuing this summer, bikes have been available at the CUB, SRC and the Outdoor Recreation Center for use by their staff.

Around two trips per day are taken, totaling about 35 miles, Bentley said.

“A lot of those trips were biked instead of driven,” she said.

Biking instead of driving decreases the carbon footprint, congestion and parking problems in our community, Bentley said.

“Most people take trips of approximately two miles,” she said. “That’s a very bikeable distance. It’s easier to ride than people think.” Though some are intimidated by Pullman’s hills, Bentley said, they shouldn’t be deterred by them.

“A lot of people see the hill and think ‘I could never bike up that,’” she said. “Most people walk up them, though, and you exert the same amount of energy (biking) but get up faster.” Another deterrent is the chilly winter months, but Bentley said there are at least seven to eight months out of the year that you can ride a bike.

Bentley pointed out a similar program in Alaska.

“If the students in Anchorage, Alaska could bike I’m pretty sure the students here at WSU can bike,” she said.

Bentley hopes to open up the Green Bike Program to all students and staff by the beginning of the school year. She is hoping to have a bike repair shop up and running by that time as well.

The Green Bike Program will host approximately 24 bikes at three sites: the CUB, the SRC and the new Olympia Residence Hall.

The Wellbeing program will also be hosting two more workshops at 5 to 6 p.m. on Sept, 9 and Oct. 8 in the SRC Backyard.

Class size is limited to 10 people, in order to provide one on one assistance, and there is still room in this summer’s classes. Registration is open up to the day of the workshop. To register, visit www.urec.wsu.edu, or call 509-335-UREC.