The Alumni Memorial Union is a favorable candidate for the Bublr Bike station that will be placed on campus.
“I would personally prefer it to be located near AMU but there are still multiple locations being considered,” said Marquette Student Government President Zack Wallace.
Bublr Bikes Executive Director Kevin Hardman said the location decision is slated to happen in the next month or two. In addition, he said the Bublr Bikes presence at Marquette could grow in the future.
“This is the first of more stations,” Hardman said. “We’re thinking about… where are the needs beyond that station.”
There is a suggestion page on Bublr Bike’s website for students and other users to give input on where the station should be. Weather and accessibility are the main things students are considering during the decision process.
Triathlon Team President Austin Anderson, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, came to the MUSG Senate meeting on Oct. 12, when the Bublr legislation passed, to show his support.
“I think it’s a good thing because it will make it easier for people to get to different places around Milwaukee,” he said in reference to Bublr Bikes. “Debatably, this is safer (than the bus).”
He said the worst places to put the station would be near Mashuda Hall or Straz Tower – the residence halls on each end of campus.
“(It) would be too far away,” Anderson said.
He suggested Olin Engineering Center to keep the bikes protected from weather or the west side of the AMU because it’s located in the center of campus.
“Regardless of where we put stations, one of the key priorities is making the station highly visible to the general public,” Hardman said. “We want it to be as close to the street as possible.”
Rebecca Zellelew, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the area under the bridge between Raynor and Memorial Libraries would protect the bikes from weather conditions.
“But… if all community members are going to have to use the bikes, then it shouldn’t be hidden,” she said.
Zellelew added that a location near the parking structure on W. Wells Street would be a good idea.
Lora Strigens, chief university planner and architect, said there are several things being taken into consideration as the decision is being made.
“Those include the infrastructure (access to necessary utilities, security cameras, appropriate lighting, etc), enough physical space to accommodate the bike station, access to primary roadways traveled by bike, visibility and convenience for our campus community,” she said in an email.
Another technical requirement for the station is the ability to connect to an energy source. Bublr Bikes stations run on either battery, solar or alternating current power.
Hardman said the Bublr Bikes team is considering the most environmentally-friendly way to power the station.
“We don’t know what at Marquette will work best (yet),” Hardman said. “It’s a Marquette decision in collaboration with us.”
Hardman said he wants the decision to be a marriage between student input and the station’s physical requirements.
“What we would absolutely relish is more and more input,” he said.
While the university works on its new master plan, Strigens said it is addressing different types of transportation, including walking and biking.
“The Bublr station will fit into this effort and the recommendations for our campus relative to transportation and access/circulation,” Strigens said.
