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Project Updates for collection: Bicycle Related Projects

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  1. Housing reached out to support Bike to Work Day

    Associated Project(s): 
    C-U Bike to Work Day

    Sarthak Prasad reached out to Bryan Johnson at University Housing for their continued support towards the Bike to Work Day event on campus.

    ---

    Hi Bryan,

    We are planning to hold the Bike to Work Day event on Thursday, September 14, 2022 from 7-10 am (with a rain date of September 15), and I wanted to ask if the Housing department would be able to contribute snacks and refreshments at the University operated Bike to Work Day stations. Similar to last year, there will be 8-9 university operated stations.

    Last year, University Housing had graciously provided snacks and refreshments for all the 8 campus Bike to Work Day welcoming stations:

    1. Alma Mater Plaza
    2. DRES (Stadium and Oak)
    3. CRCE
    4. UI Research Park
    5. Uni High
    6. National Soybean Research Center (NSRC) on Pennsylvania Ave
    7. Campus Bike Center – 51 E Gregory St, Champaign, IL
    8. Orchard Downs

    We are also confirming with Vet Med, if they would like to participate this year, and I will let you know as soon I have confirmation.

    We will also organize our annual Light the Night (a free bike light giveaway) event on Tuesday, September 19, 2022 from 4-7 pm. I would appreciate if University Housing would help promote this event as well.

    Please let me know if University Housing would be able to contribute towards the Bike to Work Day event on September 14, 2023. I greatly appreciate your help! Thank you,
    Sarthak

  2. Vet Med participating and NSRC are not this year

    Associated Project(s): 
    C-U Bike to Work Day

    Since Meredith has left the university Jen confirmed that iSEE cannot manage the station at National Soybean Research Center (NSRC), so they are not participating in the Bike to Work Day event this year.

    Vet Med confirmed that they can participate in this year's event.

    Sarthak communicated the change to University Housing.

  4. Weekly Update: Less abandoned bikes, Kids' Bikes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    All, Slow visitor-wise, but busy otherwise. Moved almost all the bikes out of the round barn, and the very last of them I’ll get this week. Sounds like we’ll have less bikes from the round up than in years’ past, something I am happy for. Hopefully, it means more people are caring about and actually riding their bikes—a guy can dream!  Irrespective of the reason, less bikes means less grunt work, and that’s a huge plus in my book.

    We are still up to our ears in kids’ bikes, as the ones we have are not coming together as I’d like. Lots of short-supply parts are needed. I’ll need to dedicate some off-hours time to this as these kinds of projects are not well-suited to student staff/volunteers, apparently.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 25
    Sales: $890.34
    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $535
    Memberships: 2 for $60
    Tires/tubes: 5 for $50

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  5. Biweekly Champaign County Bike Month Planning Team Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Community Bicycle Events and Rides

    On 07/26/2023, Sarthak and Hrushikesh attended this meeting:

    Meeting Notes:

    1) Event- Bike to Work Day

    - Welcome Stations Locations - Champaign Center Signage at City Building to direct people, Orchard Downs, Campus Bike Center, Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES), University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine (Vet Med), Campus Recreation Center, City of Urbana, Lucky Moon Pies, Savoy Recreation Center. Total 8 Confirmed Stations.

    - Suggestions for a Welcome Station - Video to demonstrate how to interact and Spread Awareness during the event, Interesting and elaborate Brochure , a standard picture of how a table should be set on all the stations, Voter Registration, Early Printed Materials

    - T-Shirt budget is close to $10000.

    2) Forest Reserve is potentially hosting an event On-Campus to raise awareness

    3) Promotion

    - Updating the MTD Ad for Champaign County Bike Month - Thomas/Gabe

    - Campus Street Fest - September 9th , 1-7 p.m - Contact Xander

    4) Fundraising

    - Contacting Sponsors - MTD is a significant donor

    - University of Illinois - $6000 (donating for Bike to Work Day & Light the Night Events)  

    - Funds for Bike Lights - $2000

    - Housing - $1500 (Snacks and Refreshments) - Potential

    *Suggestion to make Kids sized T-Shirts

    5) To do for Sarthak:

    a. Ask UIPD to be present for the event.

    b. Champaign County Bike Month Advertisement can be posted on the U of I Digital Boards 

  6. Check in meeting from July 26, 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    C-U Bike to Work Day
    Light the Night

    Please see attached the agenda and documents shared during this meeting. Watch the meeting recording here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oHc_PTO7W515GCCX_SaKH6CsEsF1CJLm/view?u...

    Attached Files: 

  7. Meeting with University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles
    Reduce Bicycle Theft on Campus

    On 07/25/2023, Sarthak and Hrushikesh had a meeting with the University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD) regarding:

    Meeting Notes-

    - Explaining how to use Field Maps and its functions to UIPD  

    - Citation/ Impound Fee for the abandoned bicycles is regulated by the Parking Department.

    - Th retrieval process of the abandoned bikes will begin by Mid September.

    - During that period non-registered bikes will be enforced to register their bike along with the impound fee.

    - Asked UIPD to complete a feedback form for VEO-Bikes On-Campus (Note: UIPD is concerned with the way people use them in terms of safety and parking)

    -To do List for Sarthak:

    - Enquire about ESRI ArcGIS and Field Maps unique login credentials and editing privileges for the UIPD 

    - Send the Login details to UIPD.

    - Check Main Quad and Chemistry Annex area for any other remaining abandoned bikes.

  8. Weekly Update: Abandoned Bikes, potential new hire

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Calm and slow week. All the abandoned bikes out front of the Bike Center were removed. We had a few people in wondering where their bikes had gone, so there’s some “educational” opportunities around the process still.

    As the abandoned bike removal process is underway, we still have around 30 bikes to get out of the round barn, which we’ll tackle this week with the help of Bike Project volunteers.

    I’ll be interviewing a potential hire this week who’s a PhD student from the Netherlands. I’m eager to get their perspective on ways we can improve our community—or ways we’re already doing well!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 32
    Sales: $569.45
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $325
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $50
    Memberships: 2 for $60
    Tires/tubes: 5 for $ 50

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  9. Weekly Meeting: Campus Bike Plan Progress

    Associated Project(s): 
    2024 Campus Bike Plan

    On 07/20/2023, Sarthak and Hrushikesh had a meeting regarding the progress on the Campus Bike Plan 2024.

    Meeting Notes:

    - Discussion on Inclusion and importance of some of the new initiatives taken to promote bicycle ridership.

    - Addressing the idea of Pathfinding/ Way-finding maps Bike paths, bike parking and other bicycle friendly facilities available On-Campus.

     

  11. E-Cargo Bikes for University of Illinois

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Bicycle Use

    Good day,

     

    I want to introduce you to a carbon free, sustainable alternative to moving products within and around the University of Illinois campus.  From mail and equipment delivery, to public service “vehicles”, to catering, and landscaping, there are many applications that our E-Cargo bikes can handle when moving products to and fro in the campus environment.

     

    We are the largest manufacturer of commercial E-Cargo bikes in the U.S. 

     

    Coaster Cycles are proudly built in the USA (Montana) and exclusively serve the business-to-business market. Our bikes are battle-tested and have design iterations that are currently working for companies like Amazon, UPS, Fedex, USPS, Canada Post, DoorDash, Tesla, Starbucks, US Military, Reef, Albertsons, Fresh Direct, and more.

     

    Businesses and college campuses are finding that E-Cargo bikes have a lower cost of ownership, lower insurance costs, zero carbon emissions, don’t require a driver’s license, no hassle finding parking, no parking fines, no traffic in the bike lane, eye-catching branding, and show your student body and customers you care about the environment.

     

    More information about our bikes is attached. Also, please feel free to visit www.coastercycles.com for more information. We are currently offering free shipping in the US (lower 48), and we have bikes in-stock. We are also offering a free advertising wrap for any bikes purchased prior to the end of the month. I would love the opportunity to visit if you’d like to jump on a quick call so I can run through our products and help answer any questions.  Let me know what times work best for you or you can reach me at the number below.

     

    Thank you,

    Paul

    Coaster Cycles

    -----------------------------

    Did you ever see this?  old email – sales call.

    Morgan White

    ----------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    Thank you for sharing this. I will post this on the iCAP Portal.

     

    I think it would be beneficial to have something like this at F&S and/or on campus. I am thinking about all the events that I have for bicycles or any other sustainability related events (like Arbor Day or Sustainability Celebration), an e-bike with a trailer that can carry a lot of weight would be a great option.

     

    Maybe something like the libraries or the Bike Center would benefit as well. One of my concerns is that we will have to store these in a covered area and the battery charging issue.

     

    I could talk to them as well, if this is something you and Stacey think would be beneficial for us to pursue. Thank you,
    Sarthak

    Attached Files: 

  12. Weekly Update: e-bike questions

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, I’m having more and more conversations with folks about e-bikes. One older woman I spoke with last week said the nearest place able to service her e-bike is in Springfield, IL. Anecdotally, folks don’t seem aware of just how big and dangerous e-bike batteries are from an insurance perspective and thus why bike shops can’t work on them. I see myself having a lot of similar conversations over the next few months…

    We’re hovering around 20 bikes on the sales floor, but we’ve got almost 20 kids’ bikes taking up real estate, too. Plan this week is to fix a dozen or so of those and move them along, hopefully to some of the groups/orgs we’ve worked with in the past.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 21
    Sales: $711.65
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $400
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $60
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tires/tubes: 7 for $98

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  16. Checked the status of the Round Barns Abandoned Bikes Storage

    Associated Project(s): 
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    On 07/14/2023, Sarthak and Hrushikesh visited the Round Barns facility to get an update on the number of abandoned bikes picked-up by the Parking Department till date. We have identified 300 abandoned bicycles on campus, and they will be transported to the Round Barn by the end of next week. From Monday, 07/17/2023 inventory documentation will begin. 

  18. Meeting on 2023 Champaign County Bike Month Planning

    Associated Project(s): 
    C-U Bike to Work Day
    Light the Night

    On 07/12/2023, Sarthak and Hrushikesh were a part of a 2023 Champaign County Bike Month Planning meeting.

    - Confirmed Dates for Upcoming Events:
    September 14th – Bike to Work Day
    September 19th – Light the Night

    Time - 4p.m to 7p.m (Tentative)
    September 21st – Rain Day

    - Budget for Light the Night

    - Suggestion in the meeting: The system of Veo Rides is bringing in more bike riders in the community. 

    -* Contact Lily for availability and confirm the dates for the event.

  19. Meeting with Cynthia: Upcoming Events Learn How to Ride a Bicycle

    Associated Project(s): 
    Learn How to Ride a Bicycle and Bike Rodeo
    Encourage Bicycle Use

    On 07/12/2023, Cynthia (C-U SRTS Project Chair) had a meeting with Sarthak and Hrushikesh to plan and discuss events that will help promote use of bicycle on Campus.

    Meeting Minutes:

    - Youth Cycling Instructor has gone through enough training to help in the event, but is not certified.

    - 2 events will be held initially

    1) Event - Learn to Ride

    Date - Tentatively scheduled on 08/12/2023 (Saturday) or 08/12/2023 (Sunday) (Morning preferred)

    Location - Basketball Courts near Campus Bike Center

    Students - 2-3 students per LCI

    Limit to 6 students in Total

    *2 Volunteers required (including 1 Mechanical Volunteer @Jake)

    *Electric Bikes not preferred

    2) Basic Bicycling Skills Class - 10-12 people limit

    * For these events Bikes can be made available by Bike Rodeo. 

    - Ride Illini Initiative - Bicycle Friendly Businesses can be involved to incentivize use of Bicycles.

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