Dalhousie Bike Share Program: Exploring the potential for a bike share program at Dalhousie University

Abstract

The Greening the Campus Movement at Canadian universities aims to improve sustainability on university campuses while projecting an image of responsible environmental leadership. A bike share program at Dalhousie University would help promote sustainable transportation on campus by making bicycles more accessible to students, staff and faculty. Our research included a survey to assess student support, interviews to determine administrative and community support and an examination of other university bike share programs to determine the best approach for a bike share program at Dalhousie. The survey showed that 63% of Dalhousie students were interested in a bike share program; 43% of students would use a bike share program for free or for a small fee and 20% would only use the program if it were free. The interviews revealed that there is a positive, supportive environment in which to develop and sustain a program at Dalhousie University. Successful aspects of Canadian bike share programs examined provided functional ideas for a potential Dalhousie bike share model. It was concluded that there was strong potential for a bike share program at Dalhousie University, and that such a program should be implemented.