Equipping bicycle parking near universities and providing storage space in dormitories - Minsk has set a strategic goal to develop cycling at the expense of students.
So far, only sticks in the wheels
When answering the question “Why don't you ride a bike to study?”, Students and students, as a rule, give such reasons: there is no bike, there is no infrastructure (parking and bike paths), they did not think that this is possible. These data were provided by the chairman of the council of the youth association "Solyanka" Evgeny Rudskiy at the Bicycle Conference of Students in Minsk.
“Usually, in European countries, a bicycle for a student is an alternative to a transport pass,” says Evgeny. - So far, not so many students in our country think that they can ride a bicycle to study and save money.
The expert noted that the lack of infrastructure is a serious barrier to the use of environmentally friendly transport. Near the majority of educational buildings today there are no bicycle parking, and nonresident students are prohibited from bringing a bicycle into the hostel.
Not yet interested in supporting student cyclists and university administration. In some cases, the situation even gets worse. For example, a bicycle parking near the main building of BSU was previously located on the campus, where students actively used it. However, now this parking lot has been taken out of the campus and a sign has been put up "The administration is not responsible for the safety of abandoned bicycles."
- This example shows the attitude of the university towards students-cyclists, - the thematic expert of the Minsk Cycling Society believes Evgeny Horuzhy... “And such an attitude will certainly not stimulate cycling to school.
Will the owner's bike wait after class? Photo: from the presentation of Polina Dovgilenko and Andrey Belsky.
Universities will be interested in supporting cyclist students
Experts of the Minsk Cycling Society are convinced that in the near future the administrations of universities will change their attitude towards students and female students who come to classes on bicycles. After all in the strategic plan of ensuring the development of cycling in the city of Minsk, which will be accepted by the city authorities, students have a special role to play.
- In the urban strategic plan, which is practically agreed upon, the goal is to double the number of cyclists in the city by 2020, - says the chairman of the board of the Minsk Cycling Society Pavel Gorbunov. “And we see that this can happen largely thanks to the promotion of the bicycle as a means of transport among students.
According to the plan, the number of people coming to couples on bicycles should increase by at least 20% annually. At the same time, infrastructural improvements are also spelled out in the document. By 2020, one hundred percent of educational buildings are planned to be provided with a sufficient number of bicycle parking, and in half of the hostels favorable conditions should be created for storing bicycles.
“This strategic plan was developed jointly by specialists from the Minsk Cycling Society and the Belarusian Association of Transport Experts and Surveyors,” says Pavel Gorbunov about the significance of the document. - The plan is signed by the city executive committee, so it will be mandatory for universities.
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The most cycling university to be chosen in Minsk
Minsk students are interested in coming to universities on bicycles and are ready to develop cycling in their educational institutions. This is evidenced by the composition of the participants in the first Bicycle Conference of Students, which was attended by representatives and representatives of almost all higher educational institutions in Minsk. Conference was organized by the students themselves in order to introduce university activists to each other and to identify curators for the development of cycling in different universities.
“Thanks to the conference, we learned about various student cycling initiatives,” says Evgeny Rudskiy about the results of the conference. - For example, a bike photo marathon in BSU, cycling trips in BNTU, covered parking in BSUIR. I hope that during the year we will exchange experiences and next time even more projects will be presented at the Student Bicycle Conference.
Participants of the Bicycle Conference of Students. Photo: Alexey Volkorezov
In order for students, teachers and administrations of universities to have a new incentive to develop cycling in their educational institutions, in 2018 Minsk will host the competition "The Most Cycling University". This is a multi-stage competition that will take into account the activism of students and teachers, infrastructure, participation in external events. At each stage, universities will receive points, and the most cycling university will receive a title and a cup.
Which university will become the most cycling? Photo collage: Stanislava Kmit
- The competition is aimed at popularizing cycling among students and attracting the attention of the university administration to solving the problems of cyclists, - one of the organizers of the competition, a member of the Solyanka association, tells about the idea. Stanislava Kmit... - We have already found a sponsor who will support us with prizes, and we hope for the active participation of students and teachers.
Text: Tatiana Baikova, zautra.by
