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Jennifer Carson from McKinley Health Center provided 400 (200 each for two locations) reflective orange slap bands for the Light the Night event that have imprinted on them our 24/7 Dial-A-Nurse. These are great for being seen in the evening hours.
Jen dropped them off in Sarthak's office at 9 am on October 3.
All, Abbreviated week for me as I was out of town Thursday and Friday. I’ll check in with my staff this week and see how things went in my absence.
There are 6 bikes on the outside rack from this weekend but unfortunately one or two are locked up as if it’s a regular bike rack. Whoops!
This week will be busy as we have Light The Night on Thursday and our second Fix-a-Flat class on Friday. I’ll be talking up the F-a-F class incessantly this week in hopes of increasing participation numbers. For LTN I’ll be splitting my staff up between the shop and the event for the time that they overlap.
We have been oscillating back and forth between allowing for Free Visits and not depending on how busy we are and how well-staffed we are at that time. So that points to things getting a little calmer (thankfully). Addressing the burnout my staff and I feel during these very busy beginning months will be a task for the winter.
Moving all the kids bikes over to Salt & Light didn’t end up happening last week so I’ll shoot for getting those out this week. It’ll help with clearing everything out for our move. Exciting times!
The numbers:
Visitors: 96
Sales: $1,242.50
Memberships: 16 for $480
Bikes (refurb): 2 for $225
Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $57
Tires/tubes: 20 for $92
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Manager, Campus Bike Center
Bring your bicycle to Alma Mater Plaza or the Hallene Gateway (Illinois Street and Lincoln Avenue) on Thursday, October 3 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the free installation of bicycle light sets. Light the Night strives to improve the visibility of bicyclists in Champaign-Urbana and provide general bike safety information. Free, on-site bicycle registration will also be available. October 3, 4–7 pm
Sarthak Prasad • Facilities & Services
Information on Light the Night was approved to be posted in eWeek (for faculty and staff), iNews (for Undergraduates), iSEE, and ISSS Newsletters.
Sarthak Prasad organized another meeting to discuss the current status of the final preparation, one week prior to the event. See attached the meeting notes.
All, Last week was busy, per usual this time of year. TBP and I met with Circle Cycle to discuss their Earn-a-Bike program using abandoned bikes on campus. I interviewed two applicants and will be hiring them. The light sets for the LTN event arrived on Wednesday and were expeditiously moved to the Urbana shop, saving some space over here. Two bike donations were on the rack when I pulled in this morning.
This week I’ll be taking the large pile of kids bikes over to Salt & Light to donate. I’ll also be meeting with F&S Sustainability and VeoRide to discuss bike share on campus. I’ll be out of town Thursday and Friday. I’ll arrange for the student staff to cover for me.
The numbers:
Visitors: 101
Sales: $1,463.00
Memberships: 19 for $570
Bikes (refurb): 2 for $400
Bikes (B-a-B): 2 or $120
Tires/tubes: 28 for $107
Jacob Benjamin
Manager, Campus Bike Center
Jake Benjamin received the Torch Blinking Bike Lights on September 18, 2019.
Barry confirmed the times for Volunteer training and Light Assembly.
See Quote from TBP to purchase Torch Blinking bike lights
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Optional training sessions:
There will be two chances to go to a short training session for those who haven't participated before, those who want a refresher, or those who want to practice with this year's models of lights:
- Mon., Sept. 23, 2019, 6:00 pm--6:45 pm, at the Downtown Urbana Bike Project, 202 S. Broadway, Urbana, IL. (enter via south side basement door).
- Thu., Oct. 3, 2019, 3:00 pm--3:45 pm, at Alma Mater (SE corner of Green St. and Wright, Urbana, IL)
We will run a light-assembly / battery-install event (plus a second if needed) to get lights ready in advance:
- Mon., Sept. 23, 2019, 7:00 pm--9:00 pm. Downtown Urbana Bike Project, 202 S. Broadway, Urbana, IL. (enter via south side basement door)
- Possible second session: TBA
MTD's marketing team created the LTN 2019 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/911318152576958/
Sarthak Prasad posted this link as an event on Bike at Illinois: Light the Night 2019
See the project update on LTN Volunteer Sign Up.
See the meeting notes from the first group meeting for LTN 2019.
All, Still busy! I went over to the warehouse last week and picked up some of the nicer, minimally-broken bikes over there. One only needed air in the tires and a few minor tweaks to be roadworthy. It’s already on the sales floor. Will hopefully have a few more of those to churn out this week. I also returned 3 Chambana Bikes to Neutral Cycle.
We’re still suspending the First Visit Free policy here. We’ve been less than at-capacity for the first hour or two every day which is a harder sell but haven’t had too much trouble. I frankly wouldn’t mind seeing the suspension extended well into the fall as it helps to weed out people who aren’t at all interested in doing the work in the first place. I often wonder how many people are in the shop to genuinely learn and how many are here because we’re cheaper than every bike shop in town… Just something to think about.
Got more complaints about the broken fix-it pumps. One guy on the phone seemed especially frustrated since he’d been to 3 – 4 pumps across campus. I sent him over to Neutral Cycle since he was in that neighborhood already.
I have a couple interviews for some new hires this week. I already got a couple questions about Light The Night, which was surprising and welcome. I guess after 10+ years people are beginning to expect it. I also spoke with a U of I alum who’s interested in starting some similar DIY/education programming over at a small school in Indiana where he teaches. I gave him my card and flyer for TBP in case he wants to pick our brains a little more on the subject.
The numbers:
Visitors: 102
Sales: $933.60
Memberships: 18 for $540
Tires/tubes: 20 for $116
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Manager, Campus Bike Center
Cynthia Hoyle sent a draft of the Light the Night 2019 Flyer. Sarthak Prasad, Stacey DeLorenzo, and Morgan White provided comments and it was finalized on September 16, 2019. See attached the final version of the flyer.
See the meeting notes from the first group meeting for LTN 2019.
Barry Israletwitz from The Bike Project created a LTN 2019 signup page: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T6r2OCt4wS66DzkYOO6M7mXE-iDp38DTFhVj2RreR6c/edit?usp=sharing
Sarthak Prasad posted this link as an event on Bike at Illinois: Light the Night 2019 - Volunteer Opportunity
See the meeting notes from the first group meeting for LTN 2019.
Sarthak requested a Purchase Order (PO) following receiving the quotes from MTD and TBP. The POs were approved for MTD on September 6, and for TBP on September 10, 2019.
All, Last week was crazy busy. A couple of my staffers were sick or injured, leaving me well understaffed. We had a waiting list 2 – 3 deep every day. On Friday there were six or so people on the waiting list and I think most just abandoned the idea of being able to get any fixing time. Our model of first come, first served is a little problematic in that way—especially when stands are occupied with B-a-Bs that last the entirety of open hours. Down the line, separating open hours from B-a-Bs might be a good idea for the super crazy months.
This week I am heading over to the warehouse to look at this year’s crop of bikes. Parking said there are hardly any good ones but I’m fine with that. Fewer total bikes is a win in my book!
Thanks to Todd for grabbing scrap this weekend.
The numbers:
Visitors: 89
Sales: $1,282.20
Memberships: 25 for $750
Build-a-Bike: 2 for $65
Tire/tubes: 18 for $139
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Manager, Campus Bike Center
Below are the key numbers for the month of August:
August Total Rides:21910
Rides per bike per day:1.7
Average Ride Time: 8 Minutes
E-bike Rides:16,511
Peddle Bike Rides:5,398
Private property removal reports:10
Total Market Rides: 301,278…Over 300k!!!!!!
The mode share for campus employees driving alone is down from an original figure of 74% to only 60%! There is more work to be done to reach our FY20 goal of only 55%, but this is great progress! Check out the graph at 4.4 Reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle Usage, or read the attached files for more details.
See attached the quote sent by TBP for the Torch Blinking Bike Lights for University of Illinois' share.
See the Invoice contact information for the University of Illinois.
CRCE, the Campus Bike Center, and Complex Fields are closed for Labor Day.
F&S shared an update regarding VeoRide Bike Share Rides on August 29, 2019. Click here to view the full article. Following is the excerpt from the article about VeoRides:
VeoRide Bike Share Rides
As the start of the fall semester is underway, Facility Managers should expect an increase in VeoRide bike activity. VeoRide is one of the sponsors for the annual Bike Month in May and several bike initiatives in our community. The number of rides each month is shared with campus, and posted online at https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/dockless-bike-sharing. Last September and October, there were close to 50,000 rides each month on the 500 VeoRide bikes in our community, while February and March were closer to 10,000 rides each. The total for the first year was 247,236 rides!
Please contact VeoRide hello@veoride.com, 855-836-2256, if you see a bike that needs to be moved or repaired. It is also okay to pick up and move a misplaced bike. If you can locate the vehicle’s ID number (located on the handlebar or lock), please include this information in your report. Bike share companies are responsible for addressing reported issues within three hours during peak hours.
See attached the quote sent by MTD for the Silicone Strap Bike Lights for University of Illinois' share.
See the Invoice contact information for the University of Illinois.
All, Busy week, per this time of year. We’re down to two bikes for sale. We’ll be suspending the First Visit Free policy this week as we’re getting too busy to accommodate free repairs. We’ve got a few of the “You don’t have a bike, I guess I’ll build one!” B-a-Bs going. Fortunately the current crop of available bikes are in good shape and don’t need anything too intense and intensive done to get them road worthy. There may be a few crusty-bearing wheels walking out but this is not the time of year for perfection.
Friday we were closed for Campus Recreation Student Staff Training, which went well. Saturday was our Illini Frenzy and Sunday was Quad Day, so it’s been busy to say the least. This week I’ve got a job recruiting opportunity this evening at the ARC from 8 – 9p. I’ll be attending that. Thursday after hours there’ll be a staff training for the Bike Center staff. So a fair bit of extracurricular activity this week!
The numbers:
Visitors: 123*
Sales: $2,278.60
Bikes (refurb): 10 for $1,475
Memberships: 13 for $390
Tires/tubes: 10 for $38
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Manager, Campus Bike Center
