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Lynchburg College professors giving people another reason to ride a bike

Tim Saunders

Reporter

5:32 AM EDT, October 4, 2012

LYNCHBURG, Va.

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Lynchburg is known for its seven hills, but lately it's getting a reputation for traffic congestion.

More college students are moving to town, and everyone seems to have their own vehicle.

At Lynchburg College the commuter lot is full of cars, but the bike racks are mostly empty.

Kevin Peterson wants to change that. He says, "We'd like to make our campus an almost completely pedestrian campus.  Park your car when you get here and never touch it until you leave."

To start that movement, he's opened a garage. It's a repair shop for bicycles. "The Bike Shack" is a joint effort between Peterson and two of his co-workers: Mike Coco and Brian Kane.

Kane says, "I'm really into cycling, and I love working on bikes."

Using their own talent, these three teachers fix bikes at little or no cost.

The operation has been going for a couple of weeks, and students are already lining up for the service.

Coco says, "I thought it was a great idea to get students out on bikes and learn how to ride their bikes around campus, rather than driving across campus."

The Bike Shack isn't trying to compete with bike shops.  The professors are simply trying to get people more excited about cycling, which could boost business for bike shops.

Kane says, "That's what I'm hoping for.  That it will really get going and motivate students to start cycling more."

The shack takes in donated bikes, fixes them up, and loans them out. Students can earn a bike by working five hours in the shop, or by paying a one-time fee of $75.

By putting more two-wheelers on the road, these professors hope to give Lynchburg one more thing to be known for: a city that's friendly for cyclers.