Five new bike repair stations will be installed across UF’s campus to expand Student Government’s bike repair program.
The Florida Department of Transportation donated the five stations as part of a new grant program, said Troy Roberts, the department’s communications coordinator for District 2. The stations did not cost UF money. Each unit, called a Dero Fixit Service Station, includes essential tools to complete basic repairs and bike maintenance, Roberts said.
University Police Sgt. Tim Peck said he doesn’t know when the new repair stations will be installed.
The new stations are similar to the ones that students can already find on campus at the Graham, Tolbert and Murphree areas, Peck said. One of the five new stations, located at Jennings Hall, has already been installed. The remaining 4 will be located at Lakeside Residential Complex, Infinity Hall, Newell Hall and Library West.
UF is one of two pilot schools with the stations. The department wanted to increase cyclist safety on campus, Roberts said.
“We’re always trying to look for new and innovative ways to make travel (safer),” he said.
He says he expects the project will be well received given the large population of bicyclists in both of the college towns.
Brian Habing, a UF mechanical engineering senior, said although the stations on campus are convenient, the functionality of them doesn’t compare to the Reitz Union bike shop. He said depending on the cost to UF, it may be worth repairing the existing stations.
In his experience, some have been missing as many as three hex wrenches, which he said almost defeats the purpose of having them. Habing said he used the stations in the summer when the Reitz bike repair shop was closed and he needed a hex wrench.
“It was convenient because I didn’t have the tool with me at the time,” the 21-year-old said. “It would have been dangerous to ride home with a loose steering bar.”
