VCU news

By Jonsette Calloway
VCU Parking and Transportation

Virginia Commonwealth University’s RamBikes celebrates its fall opening with the VCU Office of Sustainability’s open house Friday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 201 N. Belvidere St.

Activities will include bike registrations with VCU Police, free bike inspections, a sustainability/bike scavenger hunt and tour, giveaways, light refreshments and a drawing for a Kona Dew bike. Students, faculty and staff will also have the opportunity to get their bicycles serviced in the newly revamped shop.

RamBikes, operated by VCU Parking and Transportation, promotes bicycling as a safe, fun, economical, efficient and environmentally friendly transportation alternative for the entire VCU community. The RamBikes facility features a full-service repair shop that allows cyclists to work on their personal bikes or get free help from RamBikes technicians. Services include flat repairs, brake adjustment/repairs, safety checks, hardware tightening and bike safety classes. Though the shop does not sell bikes, parts or accessories in house, technicians can install a part once purchased.

We are hoping to capitalize on the positive energy surrounding alternative transportation at VCU.

“RamBikes is a fantastic resource for the VCU community,” said Erin Stanforth, director of the Office of Sustainability at VCU. “We are hoping to capitalize on the positive energy surrounding alternative transportation at VCU and better educate students, faculty and staff on how to further reduce their carbon footprints.”

During the event, Stanforth and her team will lead tours of their new office at 203 N. Belvidere and provide information about the various sustainability initiatives taking place at VCU. She hopes the open house will increase the visibility of its office as well as educate the campus community about sustainability efforts at VCU, she said.

Shaina Kohli, a new RamBikes technician and avid biker, is excited to see RamBikes re-open for the fall.

“I most look forward to having workshops and group rides led by myself and other RamBikes staff,” she said. “It's a totally different direction from what we were doing before, which mostly catered only to people who were already serious about biking. Basically, I'm just looking forward to getting more people into cycling and onto bikes.”

Beginning Oct. 2, RamBikes will be open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. RamBikes is closed Thursdays and Sundays.

For more information on RamBikes, visit bikes.vcu.edu. To learn more about VCU’s Office of Sustainability, visit http://sustainability.vcu.edu/.

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