The UA staff senate passed a resolution for bicycle parking on the UA campus Monday morning, returning talk of paid permits to the table, but also including provisions for further study of bike parking, office storage and fines. The resolution is now in the hands of the Parking and Transit committee, who will make the final decisions on campus bike policy. The final version should be published before the Spring 2009 academic session is over, so students will know what to expect when they return in the Fall. There are a number of changes proposed in this resolution:

• a limitation on citations for first-time offenses
• installation of cheap, portable bike racks to study parking patterns
• permission for staff/faculty parking in storage rooms and private offices in administrative and academic buildings
• more options to display registration, in deference to our beloved bike frames
• all funds generated from fees, tickets, etc. are strongly suggested to be earmarked for more racks

For those of you who may cry foul at portable bike racks, it would only be a temporary solution to map parking patterns. It’s going to take money—a lot of money—to satisfy the demand for bicycle parking. Each loop costs $300 to purchase and install, and that particular style is not going to change. I spoke with Jill Anthes, campus planner, about how the loops came about. She said the current loops were chosen with the biking community’s input. This, coupled with the conformity of State Furnishing Standards used at the UA, means the loops are here to stay and not getting any cheaper.