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TUCSON - This May, BICAS and the University of Arizona's Office of Residence Life Sustainability have teamed up to give students a new option when it comes to turning in their bikes.

Kylie Walzak, the Outreach and Education Coordinator for BICAS, says that at the end of the school year, many bicycles are left abandoned.

"After the first 2 weeks of may, there are a lot of bikes left and locked on campus."

Often, the bikes that are left get vandalized and destroyed, and eventually end up being impounded. Rick Harbaugh, with the School's Parking and Transportation Department, says he impounds "anywhere from three to four hundred bikes," during the summer months.

To change those statistics, BICAS and the University are offering the first ever bicycle drive.

For the first two weeks of May, BICAS will be on campus accepting any, and all, bike and bike parts. Whatever they receive will go towards making new and affordable bikes.

"We basically create these Franken-bikes, that are wonderful and great for getting you around town and are so ugly that nobody would want to steal them! And it helps out a lot of people in Tucson that don't have access to transportation," Walzak added.

To find out if students would use the service, I asked around and found that most people thought the idea was great.

"I think it's a very good thing, and it generates a bike awareness," said one student.

"I actually have an older bike that's not being used, so I would definitely use that program," said another.

If you're interested in turning in your bike, or bike parts, you can find BICAS on the north side of the Student Union Memorial Center for the first two weeks in May. They'll be there from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Additionally, they'll have mechanics on hand who can perform tune ups if needed. For more information, go to:

http://bicas.org/images/UofABikeDrive.png