It's bike week at the University of Michigan.
U-M recently installed two bicycle tire pumps and a repair stand on campus and this week students, dubbed bike ambassadors, will be at the stands from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. to help people with their bike problems.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
And you don't have to a be a student to participate: The products are available for use by anyone in Ann Arbor.
The school's first bicycle resource fair, Bike Fest, will take place on Tuesday from noon until 2 p.m. During that period, officials and ambassadors will explain how to use the repair and pump stations.
The new stations follow the launch of U-M's first-ever bicycle rental program. Thirty bikes are for rent through the U-M Blue Bikes program at the rate of $5 per day, $11 per week and $75 per semester. They're available at U-M's Outdoor Adventures office located on 336 Hill St. and the North Campus recreational center.
The program launched in September and demand has already outpaced supply.
"We need more bikes," U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said during an event in October. Coleman, who launched a$14 million sustainability initiative in 2011, began pushing for a bicycle rental program after she visited a university campus in Colorado and saw the infrastructure in place there.
"The bikes were everywhere," she recalled, "so I took photos of all these bike kiosks and came back and said we should do this on campus."
The Ann Arbor campus is also exploring a bicycle share program that would allow them to operate similarly to Zipcar, allowing participants to pick up and drop off bicycles when needed. Earlier this year, U-M was named among the country's 35 most bike-friendly colleges.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.