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To: President Harker
CC: UD Transportation Services, Board of Directors
Subject: Bringing a Rent-A-Bike Service to UD
Body:
Dear President Harker,
We would like to start by thanking you for your time and
consideration of this idea and
proposal.
For a while now there have been transportation concerns among
the students. During
rush times between classes, buses are often full and many
students wind up late to class even
though they allocated 20 minutes or more to wait for a bus. This
is especially true for the later
bus stops on the North/South campus express route. It is evident
that there are opportunities for
improvement in student transportation, and we believe that
introducing a Rent-A-Bike service
(tentatively named Blue Hen Bike Share) to the University of
Delaware campus would go a long
way in both mitigating these transportation issues and providing
a more easily accessible
campus.
Attached is a formal proposal for bringing the Rent-A-Bike
service to the University of
Delaware campus, along with costs and estimated construction
times.
Thank you,
Concerned Students
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Attachments: UDelRentABikeProposal.docx
UDelRentABikeProposal.docx:
BLUE HEN BIKE SHARE PROPOSAL AND
PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
Concerned Group of University Delaware Students
6 February 2015
Prepared for President Harker,
UD Transportation Services,
and the Board of Directors
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Table of Contents Abstract
...............................................................................................................................................................
1
Executive Summary
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2
Introduction
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3
Discussion
............................................................................................................................................................
4
Map Layout and Details
.................................................................................................................................
4
Benefits
.............................................................................................................................................................
6
Cost
Breakdown:.............................................................................................................................................
7
Time Table
.....................................................................................................................................................
10
Potential Drawbacks
.....................................................................................................................................
11
Conclusion
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12
Recommendations
.............................................................................................................................................
13
References
..........................................................................................................................................................
14
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1
Abstract
The University of Delaware is undoubtedly one of the most
prestigious schools in the
area and a growing competitor to Ivy League Universities. Aside
from its outstanding
academics, the University of Delaware is also home to one of the
most beautiful campuses in the
nation. However, the immense size of our campus has posed
transportation problems for
students from the furthest corners of campus to the most
populated areas. Having an easier
method of transportation that is readily available to the
student or customer can be a leap towards
a better campus experience. Bringing a rent-a-bike service to
the University of Delaware can
solve these existing problems and positively influence the
campus for years to come. This
detailed proposal and plan outlines the major steps the
University of Delaware can take to bring
this idea to reality
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2
Executive Summary
Having been enrolled at the University of Delaware for
approximately three years we, a
concerned group of upper-class students, have much experience
about campus life from our time
here. We have taken notice of the transportation problems around
this campus and have an
ingenious solution. Our group members major in a myriad of
different disciplines which results
in an eclectic range of perspectives on the proposal of Blue Hen
Bike Share.
The plan contains realistic information based on the observed
campus traffic and data
obtained from the University of Delaware. The Blue Hen Bike
Share hub locations and layouts
are strategically placed to accommodate the busiest parts of the
campus and ensure that a bike is
readily accessible within 100 feet from most campus locations.
Budgeting the project and the
length of construction have been determined through estimates
and inquiries made by our group
leaders. We will highlight reasons why this service would be
invaluable to the school, the
attached benefits and potential drawbacks.
Our group decided that the key features of the service should
include:
A simple but effective means of transportation can be used such
as a bike
There is enough land owned by the University to build bike hubs
scattered about campus
Some areas of campus desperately need a better source of
transportation
The program can fit in the budget of the school and yield a
steady income
Installation can be done while students are away (either in the
summer or winter) with
minimal confliction between other construction
The bikes are environmentally friendly and can lead to a better
campus experience
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3
Introduction
The University of Delaware (UD) has always strived to be the
best, thus acting hand-in-hand
with its motto Dare To Be First. While UD students have little
to complain about regarding
campus life, the problem of getting around campus has been the
biggest ordeal. UD maintains an
impeccable campus; however, navigating from far dormitories to
class is a struggle for some
students. Bus routes around campus, tiers of parking lots, and
bike racks distributed around the
premises have assisted students who are averse to the long walk.
Our observations show that, in
many ways, these forms of transportation have flaws that repulse
students. Whether it be the
long waits for the bus, the lack of available parking close to
campus, or the overcrowded bike
racks, there is a glaring issue and the students want
change.
Due to the high population of campus inhabitants,
transportation-related congestion is
inevitable. This is a perpetual issue in most metropolitan
cities where rent-a-bike services are
currently being introduced. So far, spectacular results have
been documented with a notable
reduction in traffic congestion. Replicating this service on the
UD campus could provide a
drastic reduction in traffic congestion and improve the quality
of the University. We have
included an outline of the benefits, potential drawbacks,
proposed plans of action and time and
cost estimates for Blue Hen Bike Share program.
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4
Discussion
Map Layout and Details
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5
The Blue Hen Bike Share would consist of four primary hubs. The
primary hubs consist
of two or more rotating bike stations. Each station would
consist of a rod with fifteen
independently rotating circular cages resting on ball bearings.
The design resembles a ferris
wheel and the cages would accommodate three bikes each for a
total of 45 bikes per station. The
cages would temporarily lock at three points, requiring the user
to press a button or pull a lever
to unlock the joints to then allow the cage to rotate, providing
access to the other bikes. The hub
on North campus will be divided among three locations; two bike
stations in front of
Independence East, two near Christiana Towers, and two between
James Smith and Thomas
McKean.
The secondary hubs would also use this rotating cage mechanism,
but would only have
one station per location. The tertiary hubs would consist of
non-rotating stations with 10-15
bikes per station.
A bike would be accessed by swiping a student ID or credit/debit
card at the station.
After logging the customers information, a code will be provided
which the user would enter at
the keypad located next to their desired bike. The station would
then release the bike at that
location, allowing the customer to successfully retrieve and use
the bike. Upon returning that
bike to any station, the customer would swipe their information
a second time and log the slot on
the station where they stored the bike. That slot would then
lock, and the customer would be
charged for the amount of time the bike had been out of a
station. Bikes would cost one dollar
per hour, rounding up to the nearest hour and terminating when
the bike is returned. Each session
is independent so renting another bike within the same hour will
incur a new set of charges.
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6
Benefits There are many benefits to having this bike service on
the UD campus. The bike share
would provide a faster and more convenient method of travel as
opposed to waiting for the bus
and hoping there is room for you when it gets to your stop. This
also helps to relieve the
overcrowding issue for the bus transportation system. Students
would be able to access these
rental bikes easily since there will be stations strategically
situated all over campus. Using these
bikes also promote a healthy student body and an eco-friendly
campus. As for the university,
there will be a fee associated with renting these bikes which
will generate revenue. The charges
for renting the bikes will come directly out of their flex
accounts, which can be reloaded as
necessary. If the students choose not to use their flex accounts
and want to rent a bike they can
always swipe a debit or credit card to start a rental session.
In the long run, implementing this
new transportation system on campus will benefit both the
students and the university.
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7
Cost Breakdown:
Initial
Retail cost per bike: $330
Discounted Bulk Price (~15% off) = $280 (quoted from Bike Line,
Newark, DE)
Total Bike Capacity: Library - 135
North Campus - 270
North Green - 45
McKinley Lab - 45
On the Green - 20
Perkins-90
South Campus - 45
Kirkbride Circle - 30
Lot #10 - 10
ISE Building - 20
Little Bob - 90
Amy DuPont Circle - 20
Total - 820 bike slots (600 actual bikes)
Total Bike Cost: $168,000
Other Equipment:
(Automated payment stations, automatic locking bike racks,
Construction tools and
supplies, wiring) = $578,000
Workers: Construction workers ($14 per hour) x 28 = $392 per
hour
Electrical safety engineer ($35 per hour) x 1 = $35 per hour
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8
Civil Engineer ($35 per hour) x 1 = $35 per hour
Hours required: 80 hours (primary) = $36,960
40 hours (secondary) = $18,480
30 hours (tertiary) = $13,860
Total worker wages: $69,300
Daily
Wages (Students): ($10 per hour) x 15 students x 12 hours =
$1,800 per day
Estimated maintenance costs = $300 per day
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9
Fig.1 Initial Infrastructure Expenses required for the
project
Fig. 2 Daily Expense vs. Revenue
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10
Time Table
The construction of the primary (main) hubs (Perkins, Library,
Little Bob, North
Campus) should begin during spring break. During this time the
ground will be dug up and the
hubs will be connected to electrical wires. After spring break
ends, it will take another two-three
weeks to finish assembling the rotating bike station based on
weather. After the main hubs are
complete, it will take a week to register bikes, load them into
the stations and successfully
calibrate the automated stations. Simultaneously, the secondary
hubs (McKinley, North Green)
can start undergoing construction. The secondary hubs should
take two-three weeks to build and
can be done at the same time. The tertiary hubs need to be
connected to electrical wires, but are
simpler stations so assembly is faster and easier, estimating
1-2 weeks for complete installation.
Total time from initial construction to completion is estimated
to be a maximum of 6-8 weeks if
all the tertiary hubs are constructed simultaneously.
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11
Potential Drawbacks
As with all public works projects, there will be several risks
to take into account. After careful
consideration of several aspects of the project we have decided
on a group of high profile risks.
First and foremost is the possibility of theft of the equipment.
This threat can be mitigated with
the payment system used for the rental of the bikes. While using
a debit, credit, or a Student Flex
account, a financial hold can be placed on a students account in
the event that equipment goes
missing. In this case the full cost of the bike will be deducted
from the students account.
Bike overcrowding is another issue to keep in mind, as students
are going to be taking
bikes to and from several locations daily. To deal with this
issue, we agreed that the University
should employ a handful of students to receive surplus bikes
that wont fit at the high traffic
areas and ship them to lower traffic areas or stations that are
low on bikes.
The last major issue discussed was the cost of keeping the bikes
in optimal condition. The
bikes will undoubtedly be subjected to wear and tear so the best
option for minimizing repair
costs is to buy high-quality, durable bikes with the added
option of employing student mechanics
to fix damaged bikes.
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12
Conclusion
When examining the overall profitability of this new venture. It
is indisputable that it will
only serve to enhance our esteemed campus and provide students
with a morale boost to excel at
all their on campus endeavors.
This new bike system is a simple yet effective means of
transportation for the student body and a
financial asset for the university. The costs of purchasing the
bikes and installing the equipment
is affordable for the university and will yield long term
profits. The transportation issues during
peak times during the day would be considerably reduced, if not
resolved.
As students, we are passionate about seeing this idea come to
fruition and we look forward to
spreading the word about Blue Hen Bike Share in the near
future.
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13
Recommendations
The University of Delaware install a bike share service on
campus property
Integrate all necessary bike hub info into UD Transportation
app.
Bike fixer stations also to be installed to support and maintain
the bikes all year
Install primary hubs in places that have a high volume of
students living there and lower
tier hubs accordingly
Work this project into the budget of the school as soon as
possible
Start construction of hubs in a reasonable time distance from
the start of the 2015 Fall
semester
Charge a below average price (
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14
References
Bike Line employee, Greg Sadler, provided the total bike cost
with the bulk ordering
discount. Capital Bike Share provided a framework for our own
customized service.
Additionally, as engineering students we were able to closely
estimate the building costs. We
were able to evaluate the cost of the machines used at the hub
by contacting Cardtronics, an
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) design company.