President David C. Joyce

One of the most efficient machines ever conceived is probably sitting idly in garages across our country right now. I’m talking about the bicycle. In terms of the ratio of energy required to work output, it is the most efficient mode of human transportation yet devised – three times more so than walking. As a cycling enthusiast, I would like to share my perspective on the history and future of this amazing machine along with a few interesting parallels to Ripon.

The bicycle as we know it evolved from a crude pushbike, more akin to a scooter, designed to measure distances along the ground. The concept evolved to include treadles or levers to power the rear wheels, but it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that a mechanical crank drive was introduced, roughly the same time as Ripon College was founded. Designs took an awkward-looking step forward around 1870 with the introduction of the so-called “penny farthing,” with its ridiculously huge front wheel and a little rear wheel. The challenge of driving and steering the same wheel led inevitably to the Starley Rover in 1885, which introduced the chain drive and is credited by most as the first recognizably modern bicycle. Freewheels, pneumatic tires, derailleurs and cable-pull brakes followed shortly thereafter, ushering in a bicycle craze. Mass production made them affordable, and cycling clubs and races sprang up on both sides of the big pond.

Interestingly, no single group benefited from the invention this advent more immediately than women. During the 1890s, the proliferation of bicycles helped women out of their corsets (in the collective sense) and steered fashion toward practical clothing. Likewise, Ripon College’s first four graduates in 1867 were women… another example of empowering women for the future.

Bikes also reduced our dependence on horses, which I’ll bet was just fine with the horses. In cities, bicycles afforded workers the then-luxury of a commute from the suburbs, which offered more spacious and more affordable housing. It also reduced the need for the fellows with the pooper scoopers.

Speaking of cities, anyone who has visited urban areas in Denmark, the Netherlands, or Asia has observed that bikes outnumber cars by a staggering margin. Amsterdam, in fact, is such a model of bicycle culture that Chicago officials are looking at the Dutch city to learn ways to make their city more bike-friendly. Certainly, a suitable infrastructure plays a huge role in successfully establishing a bicycle culture, as cities like Portland, Ore. have discovered. Few American roadways, unfortunately, were designed with bikes in mind.

Aside from the obvious health and environmental benefits of the bicycle, its use harkens back to the many thousands of years of pre-industrialized life that shaped our DNA. It wasn’t long ago, for example, that the energy expended obtaining food often exceeded the energy it provided. Now, we don’t even have to leave our recliners to get it. If we’re sufficiently motivated and dedicated, we will spend a lot of money on gym memberships, aerobics classes or treadmills, all simply to replace the energy we humans once expended as a matter of course. Of course, the majority of us aren’t motivated or dedicated enough, and our bellies balloon. I don’t discount all of the innovations that have resulted from the American quest for convenience, but I believe we are as much its victims as its benefactors – perhaps more so.

By now, you may be aware of some of our growing pains on campus. One of the most contentious issues is parking as the demand outstrips the supply of readily accessible parking lots.  Unfortunate though that is, it is not unusual to find campus bike racks nearly empty in the middle of the day.

The distance from Todd Wehr Hall to the Storzer Center – arguably the two furthest points on campus – can be covered in 15 minutes on foot, but just a few minutes on a bike. Factor in the time to find a parking spot (which, again, is becoming more difficult) and it’s a wash at best. I will allow that riding a bike during portions of a Wisconsin winter is somewhat impractical. However, snow-covered roadways and sidewalks are usually scraped clean in a very short period of time. While bicycles may not be appropriate for every situation, there are few, if any, valid arguments for favoring a car over short distances. Challenges with traffic and parking have always been, and should remain, the province of large urban institutions, not ours. It is difficult enough to consistently deliver a quality education to our students and fund essential programs without having to deal with so needlessly contentious an issue as parking.

With the planned closure of Elm and Seward streets, Ripon College has an opportunity to affirm our commitment to becoming one of the greenest, most pedestrian-friendly campuses in the region. The Ripon College Velorution Project is a dramatic step in that direction. I’m afraid that anyone hoping for news of a new parking lot or a multilevel garage being on campus will be waiting for a long time. For anyone waiting to reinvigorate themselves and our society by helping to build a bicycle culture in Ripon, however, the wait is over.

President David C. Joyce

joyced@ripon.edu