Indiana University

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Last modified: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

“Bloomington by Bike and Bus” map helps IU students take advantage of alternative transportation

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 2, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Task Force on Campus Sustainability has developed an easy-to-use, interactive alternative transportation map, "Bloomington by Bike and Bus," that will help commuters find more environmentally friendly ways to travel to and within the IU Bloomington campus. The new Web-based resource is available at the IU Sustainability Web site (https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain).

A transportation survey conducted in the spring of 2008 by Mike Steinhoff, sustainability research assistant and coordinator of the 2008-2009 Academic Year Sustainability Internship Program, found that a lack of knowledge of safe routes to and around campus was one reason some students, faculty and staff members of IU Bloomington hesitate when considering cycling as a practical option for everyday travel.

In response to the need for better bicycle maps displaying routes and bike parking facilities, Julie Harpring, Informatics graduate student and Task Force summer fellow for 2008, constructed "Bloomington by Bike and Bus."

Created through collaboration between the IU Task Force on Campus Sustainability and the IU Division of Transportation Services, the alternative transportation map provides easy access to information about bicycle infrastructure and bus routes on campus and around Bloomington. The map, built upon the Google Maps programming interface, allows individuals to view City of Bloomington on- and off-street marked bikeways, IU bike rack locations and rack types, and IU bus routes, while having the capability to turn each category on or off. In addition, a resources section beneath the map key provides links to other useful Web sites regarding alternative transportation within Bloomington and on the IU Bloomington campus.

"Transportation Services is always looking for ways to encourage faculty, staff and students to use some mode of transportation to get to campus other than being a single driver in a car or truck," said Kent McDaniel of IU Transportation Services. "Julie's interactive and innovative Web page does a great job of pulling together information about two modes of transportation that are a huge part of daily life here in Bloomington: bicycles and buses. I hope this will help encourage more people to give them a try and encourage those who already have tried them to use them more often."

The IU Task Force on Campus Sustainability was established in March 2007 by IU Vice President for Administration Terry Clapacs and is co-chaired by Michael Hamburger, professor of Geological Sciences, and Paul Sullivan, deputy vice president for administration. Its mission is to develop and implement initiative to advance sustainability on IU's Bloomington campus. For additional information on the Task Force and to view "Bloomington by Bike and Bus," visit https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain. For the entire summary of the 2008 transportation survey, see https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/wp-content/uploads/steinhoff&harpring_report.pdf.


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