Via The Eye Opener
- Stolen rides, empty bike room
Posted on Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Written by Tanya BahnesliAs bike thefts continue to plaguecampus, Ryerson's Bicycle Room goes underused.
Out of its 65 racks, only 13 are actually being used, according to ancillary services. Campus bike thefts reached their peak in 2005 and the problem continues.
Despite a colourful mural marking the location, student cyclist Shannon Jager has never heard of the service, which can be found by a laneway near Bond and Dundas Streets.
"I didn't even know we had such a thing," said Jager, who uses public bike racks to store her bike.
"But I'm not really worried about my bike because it's not very nice," she said.
The Bicycle Room is patrolled by security and has an emergency call box. According to Imre Juurlink, supervisor for crime analysis and communication, it's too early to tell whether or not the Bike Room has made a difference in bike theft rates on campus.
The indoor facility opened in 2008. Canice Leung was involved in the proposal of the Bicycle Room. While Ryerson eventually adopted the idea of safe on-campus bike storage, they didn't follow her vision entirely.
"We wanted it to be free for students," said Leung, who rode her bike to Ryerson from Richmond Hill.
It costs students $80 per academic year or $120 for 12 months to park their bikes in the room.
"I don't agree with paying for it at all," she said. "It's for low income individuals, and it's nice to use a bike as transportation in Toronto."
