The University of Louisiana at Lafayette received a silver award from the League of American Bicyclists for its commitment to cultivating a campus that encourages bicycling and rider safety.
UL Lafayette is one of 42 colleges and universities honored in the most recent Bicycle Friendly University awards. The University is the only school in the state to make the list. It has twice before earned a bronze award from the League of American Bicyclists as part of the multiyear designation.
The BFU rates universities based on factors such as safety considerations, quantity of bike racks, the length of trails on campus and student feedback, explained Gretchen Vanicor, director of the University’s Office of Sustainability and Community Engagement.
The University recently lengthened bike paths and installed a bike repair station in front of Edith Garland Dupré Library. Working with parish and city governments, as well as student groups, is also a vital part of the office’s continued success, Vanicor added.
“Students are really involved in making sure that they’re part of the conversation with the city,” Vanicor said. Bike lanes through the University’s main campus and that connect main campus to areas such as the University’s Research Park are coordinated with Lafayette Consolidated Government.
Gabriel Griffard and Jack Pacheco, student leaders for the University’s bike club, Geaux Bike, have been active partners with the Office of Sustainability and Community Engagement on several initiatives to improve bicycling on campus.
Among them are promoting the bike repair station, hosting rides from Dupré Library to the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at Moncus Park, and helping with the BFU Awards application.
Griffard said expanding pedestrian-safe connections from the University to areas surrounding campus such as downtown Lafayette and Moncus Park “is one of the main focuses for sustainability.”
Such infrastructure improvements, Vanicor explained, have the potential to transform the quality of life for University students and faculty and staff members, community members and visitors to Lafayette.
“When you go to a city where you feel safe biking or walking, that’s a place you want to go back to over and over again,” she said. “Now, we’re recognizing that it shouldn’t just be places that you go and visit, it should be the place that you spend your life.”
Learn more about the University’s bicycling amenities, rules, safety tips and infrastructure.
Photo caption: Gabriel Griffard (front) and Jack Pacheco, Geaux Bike co-presidents, lead a group bike ride from UL Lafayette's campus to Moncus Park. Photo credit: Paul Kieu / University of Louisiana at Lafayette