Now that the weather is warming up, bike riders are taking their bicycles out of storage more and using them as their source of transportation.

Michael Kitlan (senior-information sciences and technology) said that he rides his bike in the good weather because he can get where he needs to go faster than if he were walking.

"I just started riding again a week ago," Kitlan said. "I only ride in favorable weather because it's too hard [to ride] with the snow."

Penn State Fleet Operations Facility Manager Bruce Younkin said there are an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 bike riders in the State College area; of those, 2,500 are registered in the borough.

Younkin said bike groups are trying to put together a program to specify bike routes in the area, provide more facilities for bike storage and develop user-friendly signage for bike riders.

"We need new bike maps for the region because we don't have adequate maps at this point," Younkin said. "We need signs to show who has the right of way, especially where there's heavy pedestrian traffic."

Kitlan said bike riding has gotten easier on campus since the closing of Shortlidge Road to traffic.

"It was really crowded before and now it's much easier," he said. "I used to have to travel on the sidewalks, but now I can ride in the street."

Office of Physical Plant spokesman Paul Ruskin said closing Shortlidge Road was related to the Intermodal Transportation Concept for campus.

"Anytime there is a reduction of vehicles on the road the life of a bike rider is made easier," he said.

Ruskin said the university is trying to make bikes a high priority by increasing bike racks and paths on campus.

"We're trying to move from a vehicular focus to a more multiple transportation focus," he said.

Centre Region Bike Coalition (CRBC) member Frank Maguire said that on- and off-campus areas are expanding and moving toward transportation means other than cars.

"Bikes and riders will be incorporated into the expansion," Maguire said.

Ruskin added that he would like to see more students and even employees using bicycles as their main means of travel.

"Bikes are a wonderful method of transportation and we support their use," he said. "Personally, I'm going to get my bike out of the shed and use it now that the weather is good."

David Hill, professor of civil engineering and member of the CRBC, said he believes the State College borough has done a good job keeping on top of biker-friendly road improvements.

"On South Garner Street the borough removed parking areas and stripped the streets as designated bike paths," Hill said. "This is a good way to get new cyclists since many don't feel comfortable [riding] in main stream traffic."

Hill added that there are many bike paths from campus to various areas of town.

"The borough has done a great job the past two years plowing the paths for riders in the winter," he said.

Kitlan said riding his bike to and from class is very convenient.

"The faster I get home from class the faster I can get to the HUB lawn to play football with my friends," Kitlan said.