Allen Hall/Unit One Pilot Program

Obviously a comprehensive campus-wide network will be HUGE, and it will be expensive, we know that. In order to prove that this concept is indeed feasible and that other people will be as excited by a program like this we're working on starting a pilot program at Allen Hall, the Residence Hall right next to CRCE on Gregory Dr.

The three governing principles of both our larger goal and the Allen Hall program are that the system has to be: free, simple, and automated. In order to accomplish this, we plan to start with a pool of 20-30 donated bikes (if you would like to donate, email us at illinibicycleproject@gmail.com , or if you'd like to help us out with getting bikes, please download, print, and post our flyer ). Each bike will be numbered and it will be matched to a unique cable lock, the key to which will be stored in a key cabinet in the lobby of Allen Hall.

Residents, staff, and guests of Allen Hall will be able to access the keys, and therefore the bikes, by swiping their University i-Cards, opening the cabinet and removing whatever key(s) he or she might want to use. Each key will be embedded with a unique ID chip that will allow the system administrators to track who has each bike and for how long they have had it/them.

Users of the system will be allowed the free use of these Allen Bikes for up to 18 hours at a time, and after that period the system will automatically send the user an email reminding them to return the bike or face consequences. Those consequences will range from temporary suspension of bicycle access rights to the extreme of replacing the bicycle itself, something that could cost as much as $500!!

The Allen Hall/Unit One Bicycle Project will be an exciting addition to the already impressive array of programs and benefits those that have lived in Allen have been taking advantage of for years.