“To reduce our carbon footprint, everyone needs to get off their lazy bums and not drive every day to school. It’s just the right thing to do, it’s setting a good example for the community, for the campus,” Bruce King, Buildings and Grounds manager and chairperson of the Sustainability Committee said.

There are about 12 bike racks on the Contra Costa College campus. These are largely due to the efforts of King.

He applied for and received a series of grants upward of $15,000 from Contra Costa County 511, a countywide transportation Demand Management program, in 2014.

Management program officials designated the money to be used for projects that lower carbon emissions on campus. CCC 511 also sponsored research into which racks were best for the college. CCC Buildings and Grounds employees then installed them.

The Sustainability Committee sponsors a bike to school day in May and gives out free bags and energy bars.

“I would certainly use the racks if I rode a bike here because where else would you park. You’re supposed to use the racks, right?” administration of justice major Leticia Jones said.

Currently the bike racks are located in front of the Library and Learning Resource Center, Physical Sciences Building, Automotive Technology Center, Music Building, Gym Annex Building and the back of the Liberal Arts Building.

Police Services Lt. José Oliveira said he has only known of one bike theft at the college this academic year.

Oliveira said the bike lockers located in front of police headquarters are rarely used and are the only fully secure bike-locking stations. This may be because students are dissuaded by the $20 per semester refundable fee, a mandatory fee due before receiving access to a key to the bike lockers.

Tommy Strauss, computer science major, said, “If I did ride a bike here I would use the newer bike racks because if you can get both wheels in there, then it’s more secure than the old style racks. I just don’t have time in the mornings to ride my bike here because I take care of my grandpa who has Parkinson’s.”

“I would park my bike in front of the Library because of foot traffic, there’s more light and if someone’s going to take it, people will see it,”  student Scott Womack said.

Sergio Corona, psychology major said, “I wouldn’t necessarily use the bike racks unless they were close to where I was going.”