Perfect riding weather is here: Here's what to know about biking to campus

For all 22 years that Garth Perry has worked at the University of Arizona, he's ridden to work on a bicycle pretty much every day.

Sure, there was a brief stretch when he drove from his home on the south side to a park-and-ride lot just south of campus, from where he still rode his bike the rest of the trip. 

Ask Perry why he rides every day, and his answer is a list, including a few reasons that might seem particularly on brand for the university's chief budget and fiscal management officer.

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"It's cheap, it's efficient, it's actually quicker door to door – I've timed it," Perry said one recent morning from his office at the University Services Building, just a few hours after his 2-mile commute from his home near Broadway Boulevard and Country Club Road. "It also helps me save on parking and it's good for the environment."

With Tucson entering spring, the window for perfect cycling weather has just opened. Here's a reminder of cycling resources available to the U of A community through Parking and Transportation Services, along with tips from bike-commuting colleagues.

Don't forget to register

The university partners with Project 529 Garage, a national online bike registry, to try to track ownership of bikes across campus. Once users set up a free account, they can then take photos of their bike and add details such as make, model and serial number, which is often found on the bottom of the bike's frame. A 529 shield ID – a special tamper-proof sticker with a unique number and QR code – essentially serves as the bike's license plate. 

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Registration is helpful beyond tracking down a stolen bike, said Anona Miller, manager of sustainability and commuter programs at Parking and Transportation Services. Miller said she sometimes sees bikes locked to hand railings and signs, which causes accessibility issues. When possible, owners of registered bikes first get an email with resources about campus bike policies rather than a citation or impoundment.

"It can help us lead with education because we have that ability, with the registry, to have a more personal relationship with individuals and their bikes," said Miller, who also regularly commutes by bike.

And of course, bike registration can be helpful in recovering a stolen bike. But combating theft, Miller added, starts with prevention.

Smart storage

The sage-green U-racks that dot the main campus are perhaps the most obvious and plentiful designated bike parking. But other options from PTS offer an added layer of security:

• Valet parking: Two locations, outside the Robert L. Nugent Building and along the Warren Avenue bike path on the Health Sciences campus, offer free valet parking for bikes on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attendants staff each lot, meaning no locks necessary. Note that bikes left after 6 p.m. will be temporarily confiscated and the user may be charged a fee or no longer be able to use the valet after multiple offenses. The valet stations are not staffed on weekends or holidays.
• Enclosures: Five parking garages across the main campus have secure, shared rooms for storing locked bikes. Users access their enclosure with a key code, then lock their bike inside. Enclosures are a decent option for people who use panniers and other gear to carry items on their rides, Miller said, but they are still shared spaces. An enclosure permit costs $35 per year.
• Lockers: Perhaps the most secure bike-storage option on campus is the assortment of lockers across campus. Each locker is about 46 inches tall, 72 inches long and 31 inches wide at the opening, a suitable size for most average bikes. Locker permits are $100 per year.

PTS's UArrive interactive map is the easiest place to see locations across campus for enclosures and lockers, Miller said. Permits for both enclosures and lockers are available through employees' parking account portal, which takes NetID credentials.

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'You just have to try it'

If Perry represents one end of the bike-commuter spectrum, Marielle and Michael Hegetschweiler are perhaps at the other. 

Both chemists and U of A employees, the Hegetschweilers brought their carless lifestyle to Tucson when they moved here three years ago from Maryland; the couple are Swiss. Their home is less than two miles east of the main campus, which is Marielle's typical commute as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. 

Michael, a research scientist in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, uses the Chuck Huckleberry Loop multiuse path to get to his office at the Water & Energy Sustainable Technology Center, or WEST Center, near Interstate 10 and West El Camino del Cerro. His commute one way is about 11 miles.

The pair also shop for groceries and run other errands entirely by bike, often with Marielle riding a Trek Fetch e-bike, specially designed to carry passengers or cargo in front. That's where their two boys, age 3 and 6, often ride on the way to school, swim class and gymnastics.

"They have blankets, snacks, water bottles – it's cozy in there," Marielle said. She often relies on the bike valet stations for her large e-bike, and has a bike locker for when she rides her more typical mechanical bike. 

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Having both lived for years in Zurich, where only 40% of the population owns a car, the Hegetschweilers said going carless in Tucson was an easy decision.

"When we came to the U.S., everybody told us, 'Don't cycle on the road.' But I knew I wanted to do it, and we just did it, and it works," Michael said. "The more bikes out there, the safer it is and the easier it is for people to join."

Their advice for folks who want to dust off the freedom machine sitting in their garage and start commuting?

"You just have to try it, and you'll realize it's not a big deal," Marielle said.

Miller, with PTS, echoed that advice – and emphasized that anyone interested in commuting should not feel as though they need to look like a "cyclist," whatever image that word conjures up.

"I've biked around in a tutu and a sparkly dress just going to meet my friends downtown," Miller said, adding that attending organized group rides can help build confidence riding on streets. "It's all about whatever you feel comfortable riding in and understanding how to navigate the streets."