Brings five bike repair stations to LSU after a 2.5-year push
As a Student Government senator, Raby co-authored the bill that funded bike repair stations across LSU, then spent two and a half years getting them installed.
Turning the gears of change: after a 2.5-year journey of persistence and pedaling uphill, we finally did it! Five brand-new bicycle repair stations are now ready for use to tune up and fix bikes across LSU.
Especially after a campus repair shop closed, I noticed the lack of on-campus resources for cyclists. Even with some bike pumps already around campus, most were broken. This wasn't just about fixing flats but bridging barriers to students using a convenient, sustainable, and healthy mode of campus transportation.
Those following my work in Student Government know I have been discussing this initiative for the last couple of years. To achieve it, I had to navigate through an admittedly complex web of bureaucratic processes, engaging in over 100 emails and numerous meetings to drive this initiative forward. However, I was dedicated to overcoming the hurdles that had dissuaded everyone who had tried this type of initiative before.
The journey to realizing this vision required effective communication and collaboration with multiple campus departments, encompassing planning, infrastructure change approval, purchasing, temporary storage, and final installation. It required working with my peers in student government to write and pass an SG Senate Bill to appropriate funding for both the purchase and installation of the repair stations and pumps. Special shout out to Nicole Monceaux for coauthoring and helping push forward this initiative.Senate Bill No. 18 of the Fall 2022 session, by Raby and Monceaux, appropriated $15,500 from the Student Government Initiatives Account for bicycle repair "Fixit" stations. Read the bill.
This experience is an excellent example that while the "planning fallacy" can impede progress, it can also be overcome with persistence and audacity. People often think it will take less time and effort than it does to complete an initiative or project. Just because things take longer than they should or longer than you expected they would doesn't mean they're less worth striving for; some of the most impactful changes come after years of dedicated action. These repair stations are more than just metal and tools; they're a testament to what we can achieve with collaboration and persistence.
