BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA
BICYCLE FRIENDLY UNIVERSITIES » UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK Building a brand for bicycling in the university setting BY VALERIE GOUBEAU Making the University of Maryland, College Park, a Bicycle Friendly University is not just a program, but a brand: bikeUMD. For many, the university’s Department of Transportation Services was known as the evil entity that doled out parking tickets, but, by incorporating cycling into our agenda, we also became the fun bike people. By developing a recognizable brand that students could love, guilt free, we made the campus community, and students in particular, more receptive
University of Maryland, College Park 18 AMERICAN BICYCLIST
to our messaging. They say that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and, under the bikeUMD brand, a variety of important stakeholders collaborated to tackle the 5 Es, from the Campus Bike Shop to Facilities Management. Under the auspices of bikeUMD, campus departments have leveraged funding, human capital, and campus resources — and such collaborations have facilitated easier communication between departments that are otherwise unconnected, often leading to innovative programs and creative problem solving. Dedicated staff — assistant directorlevel staff in two campus departments — ensure that bikeUMD doesn’t end up as an after-thought. In addition to having final say on most projects, these positions manage budgets that fund bikeUMD
Developing a recognizable brand that students could love, guilt free, made the campus community, and students in particular, more receptive to our messaging. projects, and the assistant directors are joined by a Bike Coordinator (an LCI), Project Coordinator, four interns, and a marketing team. And the commitment to bicycling goes all the way to the top: Plans generated by bikeUMD often make it to vice president-level meetings. In fact, our administration recently put their money where their mouth is, so to speak, and added “Become a Gold BFU” to UMD President Loh’s performance review requirements. Of course, to make sure we were on the right course, we brought in the experts. Toole Design Group de-