Some universities across the country are steering incoming freshmen away from cars. It helps control the need for more parking lots and garages, cleans up the environment and keeps students more physically fit.
USA Today reports a school in Wisconsin offers free mountain bikes, helmets and locks if students leave their cars at home. The $300 per student cost is paid for by private funds. About 60 percent of the college's 300 freshmen have signed up.
The newspaper reports Auburn University has opened a bike maintenance shop in the student union. Bike sharing programs also kick off this fall at Auburn and other universities.
OU's flat campus is mostly bike friendly, although theft is a continual problem. CART buses have racks on the front and most classroom buildings have bike racks nearby.
