Last May, Onward State reported that a Bike Share Program, an eco-friendly initiative to provide free bikes at the swipe of an ID to Penn Staters, had been vetoed by UPUA due to concerns that the expensive piece of legislation would be implemented too quickly without proper research or planning.

Now, Penn State sophomore Lienard Chang is leading the cause along with a team of committed students who hope to bring the program to Penn State’s campus.  Chang states that the program’s objective is to “bring a high-tech, sustainable, eco-friendly, cost-effective bike sharing system to Penn State and the State College area.”

Chang and his team, who had their first meeting of the year this past week, have spoken to many people and organizations in and around State College about implementing the program, in the hopes that this year will bring new life to the initiative.  Chang hopes to raise awareness about the program and stress its importance to campus and the State College community by helping to improve PSU’s sustainability efforts, encourage exercise and healthy living, and help out students in a rush to get to class– especially on those days when you’re running a little late.

Programs similar to Penn State Bike Share are popping up all over the country, on other Big 10 campuses (Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State), and in cities like Washington D.C., where the ZipCar and SmartBike programs are becoming increasingly popular to city residents.