One-third of HNU employees come to the university either by bicycle or e-bike. To support the cyclists and promote this health- and environmentally-conscious form of mobility, there is now first aid for all wire bikes on campus. For the installation of the bicycle service station, the students took over the entire planning and directly applied their theoretically acquired knowledge from the course. This included, for example, time and cost planning, the search for a suitable provider, a sponsor and a suitable installation site. The students were able to win the outdoor company Decathlon as a sponsor.
Prof. Dr. Julia Kormann, HNU Vice President for Studies and Teaching and Sustainability, welcomed the students' initiative and supported the project, which contributes to achieving HNU's sustainability goals. The realization of the bicycle repair station was taken over in March 2023 by Matthias Wimmer, HNU's climate protection manager, and Christoph Giebeler from the Sustainability Steering Committee. "I am pleased that, thanks to the commitment of the students, we can make HNU more bicycle-friendly and promote sustainable mobility. A big thank you is also due to the city of Neu-Ulm and Decathlon, who supported us in this project," says Matthias Wimmer.
The city of Neu-Ulm poured the foundation and installed and the bike station together with HNU's building management. "We want to offer as much service as possible when it comes to cycling," explained Katrin Albsteiger, who herself travels a lot by bike and is pleased about the joint contribution to climate protection. With a twinkle in her eye, she added: "A flat tire is now no longer an argument against using a bike."
At the station, tires can be inflated as well as small repairs can be carried out with the tools provided. The station is equipped with a hand pump with adapter for all valves. The design of IBOMBO's 2PRS-Scandic service station also allows a bike to be placed on the support arm, making repairs to the bottom bracket quite simple. Instructions for use can be accessed via the QR code on the front of the unit.
HNU's student council is pleased with the service station because it contributes to both the physical and mental health of students and complements the services offered by the student health management team. "Exercise is an important balance to learning. We are a "Healthy University", which also includes coming to HNU by bike," says Jonas Liewald. Thomas Rehrl adds, "The less complicated cycling becomes, the more will do it."
Maintenance and upkeep of the bike service station is handled by HNU's Sustainability Steering Committee. HNU sees it as its mission to actively shape social change toward sustainability through teaching, research and transfer and to be a positive element of change.
