In Which City Bikes Suddenly Appear

City rental bike at U bike rack near the library.

Suddenly there is a city bike behind Warde Hall.

I am glad to see the sudden appearance of new bicycles at MMU. It helps with a funk that bikes have put me in lately.

It has not been a good summer for the bicycle program at Mount Mercy University. Over the past few months, between May and August, most of the campus bicycles were either checked out and never returned or directly stolen.

Bummer. Bike Club hasn’t met or called a ride this fall, since most MMU riders had to borrow bicycles for club rides. It remains to be seen how we will recover from this blow. We could try to purchase bikes or get more bicycles through donation—but it’s not clear how the university would maintain better control over the bike inventory to prevent the bicycles from again rolling away.

It makes me sad on many levels—I really did like sharing bicycle rides with students, for one. And another reason is that I had donated a bike to the university in spring to replace one that was destroyed while it was locked overnight on a bike trail. And the donated bike is among the gone ones. I wish more students had had a chance to enjoy it.

Still, I have some hope that the bicycle program, which was popular for several years at MMU, may be revived. There is certainly student demand for bikes, which were often in use for the several years they were on campus.

And the city is indirectly helping. Cedar Rapids recently started a Bike Share program, and met with the university this month to inquire about putting some rental racks on campus. It seemed like the next day, suddenly green city bikes and racks sprouted on campus like mushrooms.

It’s good that a two-wheel transit option is again available at MMU. I don’t know yet what the future may be for the student Bike Club, or university-owned bicycles, but at least there is some good bike news on The Hill.

Aug. 21--My ride at MMU on first day of class. Being careful to keep it locked.

Early morning ride from home Aug. 23--7:30  a.m., pond on C Avenue at Collins Aerospace.