In the summer of 2023, approximately 240 bicycles were found abandoned and impounded on the UIUC campus, of which 24 bicycles were reclaimed by students. The abandoned bicycles are temporarily stored at Round Barns on St Mary’s Rd. The remaining 214 bikes were donated to the Campus Bike Center and The Bike Project of Urbana-Campaign. However, the Round Barns will not be available for bike storage next year, necessitating an alternative long-term bike storage solution. The proposal will provide a long-term solution to store abandoned bikes over the summer and seasonal storage for bicycles on campus, preventing the cluttering of bikes on campus during summer and the deterioration of bikes and helping keep our campus clean. These containers will be located by the Abbott Power Plant and the Illinois Human Resources building close to the intersection of Gregory Dr and Oak St. The location is ideal for bike storage as it offers easy accessibility by bus and is situated across the Campus Bike Center, very conveniently on campus. The shipping container will be positioned on a rock bed to ensure a strong foundation and convenient access since it is adjacent to the sidewalk. The rock bed will be 4-5 feet wider than the shipping container, allowing maintenance accessibility from all sides. Bicycle hooks will be fixed on one wall of the shipping container to store bikes. This will enable us to store 55-60 bikes in each 8’ x 40’ shipping container and provide easy access to bikes compared to horizontally laying them inside.

This proposal directly funds:
1. Shipping containers, shipping the containers, installation of 6" rock bed + fabric
2. Labor for Ironworkers to install hooks, 1/4" x 4" plate steel, 7/16" bike hooks
3. Labor for bending/welding hooks inside shipping containers