UNM's Parking and Transportation Services is reaching out to students to give them alternatives to the hectic commuter life.
PATS hosted the Fall Alternative Transportation Fair on Tuesday, where ABQ Ride, PATS and BikeABQ tried to interest students in their organization's services.
Student David Conway, chairman of UNM's Alternative Transportation Committee, said the committee surveyed students and found their main concern is parking.
"Everyone involved in the fair thought that we could work on that issue by hosting this event," he said.
The fair offered opportunities to find other methods of transportation that would alleviate the parking problem.
For example, students can sign up for Rapid Ride and receive a sticker for their UNM ID, allowing them free bus rides.
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"The fair is a way for students to see that all transportation has a visible presence," said Danielle Gilliam, a coordinator of the event. "There are so many different booths you can choose from to find out more information on what method of transportation would be useful for you."
BikeABQ handed out fliers on bike safety, including tips on what a cyclist can do to avoid an accident, as well as "spoke cards of wisdom," which explained Albuquerque's bike laws and what to do in case of an emergency.
Lt. Pat Davis, UNMPD spokesman, said bikes should be registered in case they are stolen.
"A main issue of theft on campus in the past two years and today has been bike theft," he said. "In 2006, 142 bikes were stolen; 2007 it was 101; and this year it's been 48. So, we have had a big impact, but we still like to make sure we keep decreasing the number."
Davis said the registration process is simple.
"You get your serial number logged into our system - you can either give your driver's license number or registration number to be logged," he said. "Then, if your bike is stolen and we end up finding it, we can look into the log and your name will come up into the database."
Cynthia Martin, coordinator of the fair, said a parking area specifically for bikes is being built to keep the bikes safer.
She said students will need to have registered their bikes to be able to lock them into this area.
"The bike area will be great for bikers," she said. "It will be an area that includes a key pad or swipe system that will provide a double layer of protection, which will at least provide a deterrent for bike theft."
Martin said the fair's goal was to let students know they have many transportation options that can be more convenient for them and better for the community.
"The campus is getting more and more crowded, and we would just like to let students know that there are other methods of transportation to get to campus, so that students can make choices that fit their budget, environment and political views," she said.
