[Published: March 15, 2023]

Biking and Stanford go together like peanut butter and jelly. Mac 'n' Cheese. Tire pumps and air. In other words, if you love biking, you've come to the right place. We lead the way among national bike programs. That's why 54% of students bike at Stanford as a way to get around campus. 

 

Stanford University - Platinum Bike Award - Biking at Stanford - The League of American Bicyclists - Bikes at Stanford

Some are Silver, Some are Gold, but we are Platinum
In 2011, Stanford was the first university to be recognized as a Platinum Level Bike Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) at the highest level when the program launched. Since then, we are the only university to receive three consecutive Platinum designations, 2011-2015, 2015-2019, and 2019-2023. Pedaling Forward: Bikes at Stanford 2022 report.

bike summit 2023 date announcement

In it To Win It

Stanford participates in a monthly online Campus Network meeting to exchange best practices with bicycle program leads from around the country. The goal? To score improvements for bikers. This spring, Stanford will co-present at LAB’s National Bike Summit, Bike Revolution! in Washington, D.C, on the challenges of abandoned bikes on campus – a post-COVID challenge for all. Register to attend virtually.


The Five E's
LAB's Bicycle Friendly America Program is built around five categories-the Five E's-that are consistent in making great places for bicycling. These categories are Education; Engineering; Encouragement; Evaluation and Planning; and Equity and Accessibility. Following LAB's lead, Stanford permanently removed Enforcement as one of the E's.


Building Out the Program
Thanks to the University's commitment to bicycling, Stanford's Bike Program sets the bar nationwide. Below are many resources available to you:

 

Bicycle parking at the Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation
Bicycle parking at the Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation

 

Getting Better All the Time-What's In Store For Bikes!
Enhancements to Stanford's bicycle program and infrastructure include:

  • Six roundabouts on the main campus to encourage safe circulation for all users. New locations are being suggested to Campus Planning & Design and Project Management based on volume of traffic and utilizing bike crash data from Stanford Public Safety on where incidents have occurred over the past  4 years.
  • In the works: A new, interactive STARS bike safety course that will teach riders how to navigate roundabouts and features drone technology and interactive, gaming-like technology to enhance the learning experience.
  • The Santa Teresa Separated Bike Lane Pilot was launched to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists and improve traffic circulation, thanks to Campus Planning & Design and the Department of Project Management along with support and input from Stanford Transportation, Stanford Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Stanford Diversity and Access Office.

 

Drone and Helmet CAM Pictures - Bike Program
Roundabout Pilot Using Drone and Helmet-CAM footage.

 

Stanford Partners Set Us Apart to Stand Out and Lead

We’re grateful to tap into the incredible resources and knowledge of our campus programs, leaders, educators, and innovators in all fields, including the Campus Planning & Design Team, and DPS. Here are some noteworthy collabs:

  • Stanford d.School recently convened a five-week design project on increasing helmet use.
  • Stanford Law School's "Critical Decision Making" class explored how students evaluate the importance of wearing bike helmets and provided insight into creative new ways to teach bike safety.
  • Stanford GSB Professors Bob Suktton and Huggy Rao taught "Scaling Up Excellence," a class that explored the challenge of influencing greater helmet use among undergraduate students.

 

Bikes Bring Out The Kid in All Of Us
Above all, we like to remind the Stanford community that bikes bring joy and freedom. You can get around campus sustainably and have fun doing it. Our “On the Move” newsletter shares insightful stories from our Stanford family, including cargo bike enthusiast and Stanford scientist Arnout Boelen and his family.

Who knows? If you take up biking, you just might be our next story.

One of our goals at Stanford is to provide resources to ensure cyclists have a smooth, care-free and car-free ride. Our Share The Road webinar stresses the importance for cyclists to be courteous to all with whom we share campus roads and pathways.