Editor, Daily Nexus,

This Tuesday and Wednesday mark the second UCSB Bike Gripe of the year, put on by Associated Students Bicycle Improvements Keep Everybody Safe, where students will have a great opportunity to alter the course of bicycle path and parking projects here at UCSB. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. both days, A.S. B.I.K.E.S. will be stationed in front of the UCen with a massive map of the UCSB campus, free pizza, surveys, campus bike maps and more. By designating the most dangerous, degraded and overcrowded areas on campus, students can decide for themselves where future improvements will be focused.

A.S. B.I.K.E.S. spends over $100,000 per year on bike related projects, and last quarter’s suggestions were essential for determining priority areas for improvement. Some of the next projects to be tackled include building bike parking at the Student Resource Building, increasing parking capacity at HSSB and Kerr Hall and breaking ground on the new campus bluffs trail leading out to Sands Beach.

As your Legislative Council representative, I have also been working to support a bicycle infrastructure policy, which would require any new on-campus construction to include funds for appropriate bike access and parking improvements in its budget. Many UC campuses have a similar bicycle policy, and UCSB is long overdue, with over 10,000 students biking to campus every day. Like most students, I’m frustrated to see the university building and remodeling all over campus, without funding necessary bike access and parking. Because these projects are neglected, students suffer from innumerable impounded and stolen bikes every year.

Participate in the Bike Gripe or meet with A.S. B.I.K.E.S. on Wednesday, March 5 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the A.S. Conference Room. Better yet, join Associate Vice Chancellor Marc Fisher for his presentation of the policy to the Campus Planning Committee on Mar. 18 in Phelps 1172, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

I know improving access for alternative modes of transportation such as bikes and skateboards is a priority for students, and I hope to see students show up in support of this policy. I encourage anyone with further questions or suggestions to contact me anytime at mweisner@umail.ucsb.edu.

MATTHEW WEISNER