The Big Picture: The Biking Life

Fall colors add shades of orange and red to the horizon near McFarland Carillon on the South Quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (Image by Fred Zwicky)

For those who’d rather ride to class than walk, the U of I campus offers cycling enthusiasts everything they need, from dedicated bike paths and lanes to parking racks within 150 feet of every campus building and, of course, iconic scenery in every season. The University even gives Illini cyclists their own website where they can complete their mandatory bicycle registration, as well as find maps, safety tips and updates on the Campus Bicycle Plan, a master plan for cycling improvements on campus that covers the “5 Es” of bicycle planning: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation. A sixth “E,” eco-friendliness, makes cycling a conscientious 21st-century campus transportation choice.