As of Thursday Aug. 30, at noon, 10 BCycles are available for use in front of the Foy Recreation Center. Several people attended the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for APSU’s BCycle program that afternoon. These people include SGA president Courtney Covington, Mayor Kim McMillan, APSU President Alissa White and members of the Sustainable Campus Fee Committee. The committee members are administrators Laura Prange, West Powell, Carl Garhold, Dean Singleton and APSU student Dereka Jones.
White spoke of the BCycle’s journey from idea to reality, “The project started almost a year ago with a great idea. Courtney had mentioned Frank Burns had this vision for the cycle program and I was interested in it and didn’t know much about it. I got a call from the mayor saying, ‘We already do this in our community, so is there some way to partner together to try to leverage what we’re doing with what you’re doing?”
Frank Burns developed this vision for APSU after a visit the University of Central Florida. Frank Burns submitted his idea to the Great Green Idea contest and the rest is history.
“It would be a great way to connect APSU with local Clarksville establishments while giving students a healthy but fun activity to partake in during their APSU experience,” Burns said.
White hopes that the BCycles will encourage students to explore all that Clarksville has to offer, and for Clarksville residents to gain familiarity with APSU’s campus. According to White, at the time of the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, some students had already begun to ride the bikes. She said that it was “fun to watch them [ride the bikes]” and that they are enjoying it.
This BCycle station is the fifth installment in Clarksville. The others are in Liberty Park, the Public Square, the Cumberland Riverwalk and Pollard Trailhead.
McMillan thanked the SGA, APSU and the students of APSU for their generosity in funding the bikes.
“Now you don’t have to pay. You can ride it for free. That’s something that I think we owe a great debt of gratitude for all of the students who wanted to include this in their student activity fee and for Austin Peay for really helping them make that happen.”
The BCycles on APSU’s campus are different from the other BCycles in Clarksville because they feature a design unique to APSU. There is a ‘Gov’ face on the wheel guard and the front of the bikes don the university’s name. The bike rack has “Austin Peay” on it as well. McMillan encourages students to ride the APSU-themed BCycles to promote “the greatest university in the system.”
Burns, the mind behind the bikeshare program on campus, advises students, “Never let anyone tell you [that you] can’t achieve. People will never invest in you or your ideas unless you believe and invest in yourself. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain. People fear what they don’t understand and change is something that many won’t be accustomed to. Never give up and don’t quit.”
For more information on Clarksville BCycles, go to clarksville.bcycle.com.
