New and expanded bike racks have been installed at the Marvin Graves Building to meet the needs of riders. The racks at the site are designed to accommodate up to 39 bikes, five times as many as before.
A student survey ranked the Marvin Graves Building as the highest priority site for expanded bike racks.
Based on recommendations from the Student Government Association, the university has begun expanding bike-rack capacity across campus, targeting areas with the most urgent need first.
“We were seeing bikes attached to handrails, streets signs and poles near the Graves building so there is a need,” said Stephanie Clark, project manager for UTMB’s Business Operations and Facilities Department. The site’s four smaller U-shaped racks have been moved for use at 4th and Market streets. They can handle about two bikes each.
Distinctive in looks, the new racks are fabricated in a serpentine shape from a single metal tube. The racks are more compact and have a capacity for more bikes per linear foot than the older ones, said Bob Brown, program director for facilities planning.
The Graves site has three of the new racks. Crews also added a sidewalk nearby to provide access to the new bike racks.
UTMB has 31 bike-rack locations with a total capacity of about 430 bikes. More racks will be added based of needs expressed by students and staff, Brown said.
The student association took a survey in 2009 and identified four locations as priorities for bike racks, Brown said. The Graves site ranked No. 1. Other priorities include the Truman Graves Blocker Jr. Medical Research Building, the Moody Medical Library, and the Alumni Field House.
University Police urge riders to properly lock their bikes. Riders should use a U-shaped lock made of hardened steel, and assure that the lock encloses a wheel, a part of the bike frame and a part of the bike rack itself.