With close to 22 miles of bike trail in Ames, students have a variety of places to ride, thanks in part to the Ames/ISU Bicycle Committee.

“The trails are for recreation, enjoyment and commuting,” said Scott Logan, member of the committee. “It is a good form of transportation. Biking to campus means that you don’t have to mess with parking.

“We are not like California where people depend on the paths, but we want to make sure that they will be there if someone needs them,” he said.

The South Duff Trail from Airport Road south to 5th Street is now complete, and the committee plans to build more paths in the future.

“We are trying to link paths and extend them to the outlying neighborhoods … the connections to campus are almost done,” Logan said. “We have developed a master plan and plan to develop over 50 miles of path in the next 20 years.”

Also in the works is a “visibility plan” to help bikers and motorists identify bike trails.

“We are looking at off-streets to see what is needed to increase visibility,” Logan said. “We plan to put up bicycle-friendly signs that will help people identify the paths.”

Biking seems to be a popular mode of transportation for many people on the ISU campus.

“I ride my bike to get to the far buildings on campus, like the Town Engineering Building,” said Ryan Barrett, freshman in civil engineering. Barrett said although he enjoys using the bike paths, they are getting “really crowded.”

With a majority of students and staff walking, sometimes there is little room for bikers to maneuver in the crowds.

Janet Huggard, a sociology graduate secretary, said she would like to see fewer bikers riding on ISU sidewalks.

“My husband saw a professor get hit by a bike last year,” she said. “They had to take him away in an ambulance. There needs to be more biker courtesy.”

Many students use the paths during the weekends for recreation.

“I use the paths a lot just for the fun of it,” said Michael Falk, sophomore in meteorology and music. “They are great to go out and explore Ames.

“I only use [my bike to get to] class when I am late,” he said.