LAURA SANDIFORD
Talk of a bike-sharing program began at Mississippi State University as part of a solution to Mississippi’s expanding obesity rate, but the final product is only one part of the evolving “master plan.”
Parking Services Coordinator for MSU Mike Harris credits former Student Association president Braxton Coombs and interim president Vance Watson with the initial plans to create a bike program on campus. Coombs and Watson were troubled by an article citing Mississippi as one of the most obese states in the nation.
He says, they thought it would be a good way to get more people on campus exercising, but at the time it was just a thought that needed to be developed.
Soon after the idea was conceived, a committee formed and the project was under way. Designing, trade marking and delivery of the bikes took about a year and in January the first 100 bikes arrived. Harris placed them in areas with highest amounts of foot traffic and the students took it from there.
“We couldn’t keep them out fast enough for everyone,” said Harris. “Students were trying to keep the bikes inside their dorm rooms and bathrooms for personal use because there was such a demand for the bikes.”
Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.
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