[Published: March 15, 2023]

Biking and Stanford go together like PB&J. Mac 'n' Cheese. Tire pumps and air. The point is, if you’re considering commuting to work by bike, you’ve come to the right place.  We lead the way in the bike world. That's why a record 22%* of all Stanford commuters ride to work. 

*Stanford Annual Commute Survey 2022
 

Stanford University - Platinum Bike Award - Biking at StanfordSome are Silver, Some are Gold, but we are Platinum x3!

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. "Currently, we're working on our application to be renewed Platinum by the end of summer, and there's so much to share,” said Ariadne Delon Scott, assistant director of Active Mobility at Stanford, pointing toward Pedaling Forward: Bikes at Stanford 2022 report. 

bike summit 2023 date announcement

In it To Win It

Stanford participates in a monthly Campus Network online meeting attended by bicycle program leads nationwide to exchange best practices. The common goal is to score improvements for bike commuters. 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. P.S. You can register and attend virtually, too.

 

The Five E’s

League of American Bicyclists’ (LAB) 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 the 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 some of the many resources available:

  • Pump up tires and make minor repairs for free at 12 Bike repair stands on campus.
  • Bike commuters, store your bike safely in our new secure bicycle cages available for daily use on both the Stanford campus and Stanford Redwood City campus.Expansion plans include a new Roth Garage bike cage in ‘24.
  • Non-stop bike safety education! Take free in-person bike repair classes or online webinars.
  • Is learning to ride on your bucket list? Sign up for our interest list for an upcoming Learn to Ride Class.

 

The newest bike cage at the Center for Academic Medicine is a great example of efficient land use and state-of-the-art amenities, including one of our bike repair stations now located at all of our bike cage locations.
The newest bike cage at the Center for Academic Medicine is a great example of efficient land use and state-of-the-art amenities, and includes a bike repair station now located at every bike cage location.

 

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 on behalf of Campus Planning & Design and the Department of Project Management, with support from Stanford Transportation, Stanford Public Safety, 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 are 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 Stanford Public Safety. 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 with findings providing valuable insight into creative new ways to teach bike safety, and derive quantifiable results.
  • Stanford GSB Professors Bob Sutton 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 our Stanford commuters they can opt for a more sustainable way to get to or around campus and most importantly, have fun while doing it. Bikes bring us joy and freedom. Our monthly “On the Move” newsletter shares insightful commute stories from our Stanford family, including those who ride short and long distances, and others like 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.