Looking for a new way to travel around campus this year? How about a bicycle?! Bicycles are a super-efficient way to get from your dorm to class in practically no time at all. Surely you were looking for a way to stay in bed a few extra minutes before your three-day-a-week 8 am class…

A Juniata College student enjoys the bike share program
There are plenty of lists of colleges and universities with bike share or bike rental programs (check out one from AASHE here), but what about other resources for cyclists? Maps, road rules and locations for free air and tire pumps can make all the difference between a safe and happy bicycling experience or a scary one.

Georgia Institute of Technology offers a Campus Bike Suitability Map, which classifies local roads as low, medium or high difficulty for travel via bicycle, based on the presence or absence of bike lanes, the width of the road’s shoulder and typical traffic volume. The map even calls attention to long or steep uphills for those who prefer a flatter ride!

In March 2012, the League of American Bicyclists produced a list of the top 25 Bicycle Friendly Universities, with Stanford University in California earning the top spot.  That school offers an extensive collection of online resources and there is even a bike shop on campus!

So you’ve figured out the best routes for biking around campus, but what about finding a place to lock your bike?  This is almost definitely easier than parking a car, but to help out, City College of San Francisco indicated designated bicycle parking areas on their campus map.

And if your campus lacks a bike-friendly infrastructure, you can at least produce electricity on indoor exercise equipment at California State University Chico campus, or at Oregon State University.

Check out other sustainable ways to get around campus in the “Transportation” section of the NWF Generation E guide!

Other on-campus bicycling resources: