In previous years, students have returned to Wash. U. to find hard hats and construction vehicles on the South 40. But this August, returning students will find prominent construction elsewhere: on a new bike path along the perimeter of campus.

This summer, the Department of Facilities began building a perimeter path for bicyclists with the aid of Great Rivers Greenway, a local organization that works on constructing paths and trails in the region. The proposed bike perimeter intends to create a “pedestrian core” by banning bicycles on other campus paths. Recognizing that this will change the culture of bicycling on campus, students have aimed to voice their input.

Last spring, sophomore Mamatha Challa, the speaker of the Student Union Senate, organized focus groups to discuss the proposed bike plan. On July 9, Sarah Stanton, the project coordinator for the Department of Facilities Planning and Management, and Art Ackerman, the department’s associate vice chancellor attended a Student Union executive council meeting. This meeting allowed Challa and other students to express their thoughts on the plan.

“Something we made them rethink as a whole was the idea of the pedestrian core,” Challa said. “We felt that such a core would potentially discourage students from using bicycles on campus. The Department of Facilities could tell that it was something important to the students and that it should be reconsidered.”

After meeting with students, the Department of Facilities plans to focus more on the infrastructure of the plan and place less emphasis on the core.

“A lot of students were focused on the core as a negative part of the plan in the Spring,” Stanton said. “While we are not removing the idea of the pedestrian core in the future, we want to focus on developing the route, with the impetus that the core can be a result.”

Ackerman, Stanton and the members of Student Union executive council also discussed the location of the parking nodes, centers on campus where students would be able to park their bicycles. According to Challa, some students are worried that the nodes might be positioned in inconvenient spots.

“I think [Ackerman and Stanton] are discovering that students would want the nodes as close to main campus as possible,” Challa said.

The design of the nodes has not begun, but Stanton and the Department of Facilities are using student feedback to determine the size, layout and locations of the nodes.

“We want feedback to determine the size and layout of the nodes, and we’re using those ideas to continue developing the node areas through the rest of the campus,” Stanton said.

The Department of Facilities projects that construction on Forsyth Blvd. from Skinker to Hoyt Dr. will be completed by mid-September. Stanton expects the full route to be finished in different stages over the next few years.

“One of the efforts in the fall is to continue the design of the perimeter route north along Skinker and west along Forsyth,” Stanton said. “The perimeter is very well-traveled by pedestrians and bicycles, and we will have the benefit of allowing bicyclists and pedestrians a greater amount of ease and space.”

Junior Cody Katz, Student Union’s vice president of public relations, hopes that Ackerman and Stanton will continue to be responsive to student input.

“I am not sure what direction they will go in and how much student input they will take in, but it seems like they are open to student input. Student Union hopes that they will continue listening to students and hearing what our opinions are before implementing changes,” Katz said.

According to Challa, the main purpose of last spring’s focus groups was to receive student feedback. This fall, she hopes to be able focus on specifics of the plan.

“We are looking forward to having exact ideas to discuss, because a lot of our meetings have been generally looking at the bike plan,” Challa said.

At the July 9 meeting, members of Student Union also discussed the administration’s concern about bicycling safety on campus. Because no statistics regarding bike-related accidents on campus have been collected, the administration could only cite anecdotal cases. Challa hopes to compile more specific statistics by October.

“The Senate plans on releasing a survey to gauge the student body’s opinion on bicycling on campus, both in terms of safety and in relation to the bicycle plan,” Challa said.

Challa hopes that the communication between the students and Department of Facilities can continue throughout the year.

“We don’t want this to drop off the radar, because it is important that we receive student feedback throughout,” Challa said. “It’s a long term project for the administration.”