U O bike loan program founder wins Civic Engagement award

Bike Loan Program staff: Dave Villalobos,
Briana Orr, and Price Armstrong.
(Photos courtesy U O)

Briana Orr, the University of Oregon student who founded the school’s bike loan program, will be honored with an Oregon Civic Engagement Award on Thursday, April 23, at The Cleaners at The Ace Hotel in Portland.

We profiled Orr’s program back in October. In a Q & A with Orr published in the Daily Emerald newspaper, Orr said her recognition is a sign of “shifting values in our culture” and that “I don’t think that 10 years ago even that a bicycling advocate would be on the list.”

Here’s more about Orr’s work from a media release about the award posted on the U O website,

She launched the UO Bike Loan program, which has increased access to affordable, reliable and sustainable transportation. She is also the secretary of Environmental Planners and Policy Makers, and a member of LiveMove, a student group focused on active, sustainable transportation.

UO’s bike loan program re-uses bicycles that have been impounded by campus police or that have been abandoned by students. The bikes are available for any student for $65 deposit which is fully refunded at the end of the academic year. Along with the bike, the program provides a U-lock, helmet, front and rear lights, fenders, and a basket.