Keep Your Two Wheels Turning

By Laura Duclos

Texas Tech is one of the largest universities in the state of Texas. With only 10 minutes to move from one class to the next, how are students with back-to-back classes supposed to get around quickly?

Most students commute from home to class or take the bus, but in recent years TTU Transportation and Parking Services has noticed more students cycling to and across campus.

With that, the university has begun to accommodate for those students. Part of that includes hosting bicycle clinics, said Stacy Stockarbike-gifd, a spokeswoman for TTU Transportation and Parking Services.

“We thought, ‘Well, we need something that helps those guys out and those cyclists on campus,'” she said. “So, we created the bike clinics.”

This semester’s bicycle clinic was hosted on Nov. 2 in the veranda area of the SUB, where students received diagnostics and minor tune-ups on their bikes.

Cyclists also had the opportunity to register their bikes with Parking Services and get advice about cycling on campus from the Texas Tech Police Department, the Student Government Association and a motorcycle training company.

Liam Duggan, a bicycle mechanic for TTU Outdoor Pursuits, said cycling not only has many health benefits, but it also helps him get to class feeling more awake and ready to focus.

“It’s also really fun to ride super close to people walking by and scare them a little bit,” Duggan said. “That’s like one of my favorite things to do.”

Cyclists should know, however, that failing to yield right-of-way to pedestrians in crosswalks is a violation of state laws, punishable by a fine of up to $200.

If you are a student cyclist who missed this semester’s bicycle clinic, fear not.  You can still get help with your bike at the Outdoor Pursuits Center bike shop. The next bike clinic is scheduled for April 2017.

You can find more details about what Transportation and Parking Services is doing to help student cyclists here.

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About JOUR 4350

JOUR 4350 is the multiplatform news delivery class, which is the capstone class for journalism majors within the College of Media & Communication.