Starkville In Motion and the Bulldawg Cycling Club encourage the MSU student body to become more aware of bicycling as a means of transportation. These organizations also seek more student involvement.
SIM is a community-based advocacy group in which half of the membership is made up of students, chairman of the bike rack committee of SIM Robert McMillen said.
Recently, SIM re-striped the bike lanes on University Drive. Most businesses were extremely supportive of these bike lanes, chairman of the Lynn Lane committee of SIM Ron Cossman said.
Other than the bike lanes on University, Cossman said there are many places for students and members of the community to cycle that they may not be aware of.
There are 30 miles of mountain bike trails in Noxubee Crest, part of the Tombigbee National Forest, and three miles of trails in the research park right off campus, Cossman said.
“In the last three years, mountain bike trails and the amount of bike racks on campus have been quadrupled and designated bike space has been tripled,” McMillen said.
The Bulldawg Cycling Club and the Bike Shop hold six organized bike rides per week, said McMillen, who is also the faculty adviser for the club.
Cossman wrote a grant called the Lynn Lane Project, to establish bike lanes throughout Starkville.
This is the first joint grant the University and the city of Starkville have together, Cossman said.
If the grant is passed, the trails will include routes to campus, residential neighborhoods, student housing, the recreation center, both Starkville high schools and more, McMillen said.
“The Lynn Lane Project will connect a lot of things in a safe way.”
The project will contain lanes that are completely separate from the road to provide a safe mode of transportation and an alternative to finding a parking spot on campus, Cossman said.
“SIM’s ultimate goal is for people to be able to get around town safely, not just the campus.”
Freshman pre-architecture major Beau Lebatard said if the bike trails of the Lynn Lane project are established, it will be extremely helpful to students because they could ride their bikes everywhere, not just on campus and down University Drive.
“I ride my bike to class every day because I live in a dorm, and it’s faster than walking or driving.”
SIM is made up of very qualified and action-oriented people, McMillen said. “Many of the members are people with special expertise in certain areas, so this is a very competitive grant.”
This month’s SIM meeting will be held Monday at 6:30 p.m. in building B of the Bost Extension Center.
“This is a great opportunity for students to get involved in what’s going on in the community,” Cossman said.