The University Police and Orange Bike Program are actively involved in preserving the welfare of bicycles left on campus after the Spring Semester, with the common goal of encouraging students to take care of their property.

The Police donate some bikes to the Orange Bike Program and place others in an auction to be held June 30 (all proceeds go to the University Bike Patrol), according to Lieutenant Dave Weekley. The rest are simply held by the police department or left outside on their respective racks.

The ultimate goal is to reunite each respective bike with its owner and place emphasis on the great care the department takes to notify the individual, Weekley said.

“We treat them very carefully,” Weekley said. “They are somebody’s property.”

Weekley said that effort is made to collect the fewest bikes possible, seizing only the bikes that are chained to illegal places like wheelchair ramps, or bikes that are unsuitable for riding, spotted by their poor condition. Bikes are fitted with a warning tag before they are taken for the benefit of the owner.

“If it’s in decent shape and we think you’re riding it, we leave it alone,” Weekley said.

“The telltale thing is nobody has touched the bikes for months,” Sustainability Coordinator Nick Hennessy said. “It will almost be rusted right into the bike rack.”

Bikes that are seized are required by law to be held for a six month period, but Weekley said it is common for bikes to be held for more than a year, acknowledging the complicated legal proceedings involved in transferring bike ownership to the University-every bike in the auction has been cleared by a judge and is no longer under investigation. He said there is very little room to hold bikes, adding incentive to be selective in collecting the bikes.

Weekley said the bike situation has improved in recent years, attributing it to people taking better care of their bikes, resulting in a decrease of seizures. He said the department used to have 120 bikes compared to this year’s 40.

Proving helpful to the cause is the Orange Bike Program started by Hennessy in Fall 2008. The program involves the administration of a universal lock-and-key to students, giving them access to any of the specifically painted bikes around campus. They were created from donated bikes from the community as well as from the University Police before the auction. Sustainability Coordinator Nick Hennessy said that 25 to 30 bikes were obtained from the University’s property, with the rest of its supply coming from private donations around the Wood County area. He acknowledged that every bike was used in some form, with the more run-down models being used for spare parts.

While the Orange Bike Program does not clear the police station’s bike supply any faster, it is useful for reusing property and promoting a sense of service around the campus. Hennessy said the program is entirely volunteer-based, with many students repairing bikes for a service project while many others stay on staff as mechanics for the remainder of the semester. He emphasized the small amount of advertising for the program, opting for a test group of students at the beginning of the Fall 2009 year and relying on word-of-mouth.

“We figured BG can do well with a bike program,” Hennessy said. “It’s kind of a flat place, ideal for bikes.”

The bike-share program will most likely not function during the summer due to the decrease in student population, but Hennessy said the student interest generated during the past year will keep the program running during the main academic year.

“The Orange Bike Program fills a unique niche at BGSU,” student Zachary Manor said. “I discovered parts of the town of Bowling Green that I had never seen before and it’s all thanks to bike access.”

In the meantime, Weekley said that students can take care of their own bicycles by making sure they are registered with the city of Bowling Green, taking care to have proof of ownership such as a serial number or a lock-and-key.