At a university that has traditionally valued diversity, officials are pursuing measures to increase the presence of an oft-neglected minority within the car-centric metropolis of Los Angeles – bike users.

UCLA Transportation Services is beginning preparations for a bicycle master plan to better address the needs of bike users on campus.

“The university continues to grow both in population and traffic, so we want to pursue these other means of transportation,” said Transportation Services Traffic Manager Stephen Rand. “There has not been – until now – a comprehensive vision for bicycle parking and access in the UCLA area.”

Specific objectives of the proposed plan have not yet been made, but Rand said he expects to see a significant improvement in the bike facilities on campus.

Transportation Services will consider the expansion of both bike lanes and bike parking as part of the master plan. However, Rand said geographic considerations may compel the university to focus its energy on improvements such as bike racks and lockers, rather than the construction of new on-campus bike paths.

“Because UCLA is located in an especially heavily urbanized part of the city, opportunities for the creation of bicycle lanes leading to and from the campus have been limited,” Rand said.

“Rather than accepting the significant constraints regarding bicycle access and parking as insurmountable, however, Transportation Services is (exploring ways to) … make bike riding a more appealing option for commuters,” he added.

The process to create the master plan will begin with Transportation Services conducting a study of the current campus biking situation.

“This analysis will allow us to determine what the issues are that are preventing people from using their bikes, and what the remedy may be,” Rand said.

Following the study, the Bicycle Advocacy Committee, the group guiding the creation and implementation of the master plan, will meet with other interested parties early next year to gain input on ways to improve accommodations for bike users at UCLA.

Though the schedule for completion of the master plan remains tentative, Transportation Services aims to have a finalized plan by June 2004.

In addition to the long-term measures to be included in the master plan, the university has already begun expanding bike facilities in conjunction with other building projects. The northbound bike lane on Gayley Avenue will be extended to the intersection of Charles E. Young Drive West and Gayley Avenue when construction on the new hospital at the UCLA Medical Center is complete in Spring 2005.

Any measures Transportation Services plans to undertake to increase bike use will be challenged by the force currently hindering nearly all university programs – budget constraints.

To finance the plan, Transportation Services is investigating grant-based funding opportunities with federal, state and local government officials. The dire economic climate has caused funding for most university programs to be reduced in recent years, but Rand is optimistic additional financial resources will be available.

Besides the economic challenges, the bicycle master plan will face an even more daunting challenge in convincing a community overwhelmingly reliant on automobiles to put away the car keys and strap on a bike helmet. For many students, bike use has never registered as a transportation option.

“I have never used a bike on campus,” said Dmitry Foox, a first-year undeclared student. “It’s a hassle to carry one around … I’d hate to have to park it somewhere and come back and get it.”

Others, such as second-year pre-history student Pouya Bavafa, cite a preference for walking as a reason for not biking.

“There are a lot of benefits to biking, but walking works my calves better,” he said.

However, some students are supportive of measures to increase bike presence at UCLA. Sarah Fitzsimons, a first-year art graduate student, said biking is an ideal way to avoid the stress and expense of parking a vehicle at UCLA.

Improved bike accommodations could have noticeable benefits for students desperate for a financially viable transportation alternative to automobiles.

For Fitzsimons, there are strong economic incentives to use a bike.

“I can’t afford seven dollars a day (for parking),” she said.

Daniel Tawsik, a second-year biology student, transferred in September from UC Santa Barbara, a university with approximately 14,000 daily bike users, according to UCSB officials.

Tawsik was a frequent bike user while attending UCSB, but has discontinued the habit after transferring. He said the lack of bike presence on UCLA’s campus influenced him to stop using his bike.

“I really miss riding my bike and feeling the wind in my hair … you feel free – like a bird,” Tawsik said.

Tawsik said he enjoys attending UCLA thus far, but that an increase in bike presence, such as that to be pursued by Transportation Services, would enhance his perception of the university.

“UCLA’s great, but if there were more bikes around, it would be greater,” he said.