Bicycling
Supported by the Office of Sustainability, the Vassar Bike Advocacy Group promotes safe, abundant, and accessible bicycling infrastructure alongside inclusive programming and community-building on and off campus.
Our mission is to foster healthy, sustainable, and better-connected environments for all Vassar residents and surrounding communities. We achieve this through collaborative relationships and partnerships with other departments and groups on campus, governmental agencies, and regional bicycle advocacy groups.
The committee meets once a month through the academic year and is open to all employees and students on campus. Contact Tracy Wright-Mauer at bikes@vassar.edu for more information.
Bicycle Registration Requirement
All bikes parked indoors—or left for long periods anywhere on campus—must be registered (free of charge) with Campus Safety.
Campus Policies and Information
Vassar Bicycle Policy
Anyone riding or parking a bicycle on Vassar property must comply with this policy. Please note that e-bikes and motorized scooters are not permitted in any campus building.
Bicycles (Non-Motorized) on Campus
A guide to riding and parking responsibly on campus.
Commuting by Bike
Suggested routes and tips for a safer ride.
Reporting Bike-Related Issues
To report a missing or stolen bike, or a bike that is improperly parked—such as one locked to handrails or trees, or blocking entrances, doors, or elevators—please call the non-emergency Campus Response Center.
To report a maintenance issue with bike racks or other biking infrastructure on campus, please submit a work order with Facilities Operations.
Amenities on Campus
Vassar Bike Shop
Located at the north end of Strong basement, this VSA-supported bike shop run by Vassar students provides free to low-cost bike repairs and maintenance to the entire Vassar community. Hours vary by semester and can be found on Instagram (@vc_bikes), by emailing bikes.vsa@vassar.edu, or by checking the posted hours in the Strong basement.
Bicycle Exchange
The Bicycle Group, in coordination with the Office of Residence Life, Campus Safety, and Grounds Services, annually collects donated, abandoned, and unregistered bikes from across campus and redistributes them to Vassar students who need a bike. Contact us at bikes@vassar.edu to learn more.
Loan Program
The VSA runs a bike loan program for students on a semester-long basis. Students can check out a bike and a lock at the beginning of the semester and return them at the end. Students interested in borrowing a bike for the semester can email the VSA Director of Services at vsaservices@vassar.edu. Inventory is limited, and bikes are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Repair Station
Located at the Retreat (south) entrance of the Campus Center, the Saris repair station includes a suit of bike tools and an air pump.
Additional Tire Pumps are also located in the bike rooms of Davison and Jewett, as well as at the Bike Shop in Strong.
Racks
The Vassar campus has close to 300 indoor and outdoor bike racks located throughout campus, providing space for over 1,600 bicycles.
Ride the Preserve
The Preserve at Vassar allows bikes on a variety of trails. Please consult the online map and trailhead signs to determine which trails permit biking. The main road to The Priscilla Bullitt Collins Research Station at Vassar is always open to bikes.
Ride around the Golf Course
The old Vassar cross-country (XC) course is a mixed-surface trail accessible for walking and cycling. Find the trailhead at the end of Thelberg Road at the northeast corner of campus, travel around the golf course, and exit by the New Observatory.
End of Trip Facilities
Vassar employees have access to locker rooms and showers—both general and private—in several locations across campus.
Regional Resources
Dutchess County Bike Parking & Amenities Map
This Geographic Information System (GIS) map displays geographically referenced information using data unique to bicycling in Dutchess County.
Dutchess County Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee
All residents of Dutchess County are invited to participate in these quarterly meetings to learn about and discuss initiatives, projects, and concerns surrounding cycling and walking in Dutchess County.
Rail Trails
The 750-mile Empire State Trail—a series of connected rail trails and roads developed for cyclists and walkers to explore New York State’s cities and landscapes—passes just a half-mile north of the Vassar campus.
Dutchess County Rail Trail (DCRT): Access via the Overocker Road trailhead just north of campus.
Northside Line: Connected to the DCRT, the Northside Line is a 1-mile protected trail that connects the City of Poughkeepsie to Marist College, MidHudson Regional Hospital, Quiet Cove Riverfront Park, and the shopping centers at Winslow Gate and Mid-Hudson Plaza.
Walkway Over the Hudson: Connects the DCRT to Ulster County and points north and west. Located about 5 miles from campus.
Hudson Valley Rail Trail: Connects to New Paltz—about 14 miles from Vassar via rail trails.
Empire State Trail: Extends from Manhattan to Buffalo.
MISC
1914 - bicycle parking outside main
1915- bicycle bells
1915 - consideration of regulating bikes on campus
1915- promiscuous borrowing of bikes
1915 - bicycle committee
1915- bike committee
1916- new bicycle rules
1916 - no unlicensed bicycles after may
1916 - bicycle poem
1917 - bicycle woes
1917 - dont ride bikes…
1918 - more bicycle woes
1918 - MORE bicycle woes
1918 - still more bicycle woes
1918 - bicycle exchange - licenses
1918 - Woes turn to outrage
1918 - still more bicycle woes
1918 - diary of a bicycle
1919 - bicycle rules on campus
1919 - blacklisting of bicycle borrowers
1919 - bikes returned
1919- bells and licenses required
1919- confiscation of bikes
1919 - outside sheds for bikes
1920 - bike woes
1920 - confiscated bikes
1920 - no bikes in front of main - Looks bad!
1921 - bicycle stalls?
1921 - more bike scolding
1921 - complaints about bicycles from grounds committee
1921 - pedestrians vs. bikes
1921 - bicycle borrowing and parking
1921 - Bicycles predominate https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany19211109-01.2.16&srpos=106&e=-------en-20--101-byDA-txt-txIN-bicycles-------
1921 - bicycles in front of main again
1921 - bail for bicycles in front main
1922 - tricycles instead of bicycles
1922 - bicycle sheds
1922 - borrowed bikes still an issue
1922 - bicycle exchange - claim your bike
1922 - biggest bicycle class
1922 - bike shelter not big enough
1922 - jaunt on bikes to Mohonk
1922 - keep to the right
1922 - bike pumps
1922 - stil more borrowing of bikes
1922 - borrowing of bikes
1923 - unclaimed bikes in exchange
1923 - bicycles to be sold from the exchange
1923 - bicycle rules
1923 - bicycle rules again
1924 borrowing or stealing
1924 - biking around campus
1924 - pick up your bike
1924 Professors Salmon and whitney first to have bikes
1925 - November
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April 1926
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October 1926
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December 1926
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1926 - Vassar Bicycle Exchange and Repair Shop reference
October 1927
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November 1927
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September 1928
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October 1928
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1928 - increase in bicycles on campus
1928 - near collision
1928 - bike borrowing again
1928 - more complaints about bicyclists…
1929 Bicycle Ultimatum!
November 1929
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1930 - May
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1941 - November
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1930 - September
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1930 - campus police laying down the law
1930 - how long bicycles last
1930 - favorite bike colors
1931 - December
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1932 - lost bicycle problem
1932 Bicycle exchange budget
1932 - May
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1932 - October
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1932 - Bicycle exchange
1933 - bike poem
1933 - September
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1934
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1935 - Pants for bikes
1935 - April
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1936 - May
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1942 - April
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1942- War effort - bikes
1942 - war effort/bike exchange
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=vq19421201-01.2.13&srpos=14…-------
1942 - “Blackmarket” Bikes (sold to students and housewives)
1943 - bike trip to West Point
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany19430331-01.2.3&s…-------
1943 - Mr Hennesy - Bike Detective
1944 - bike ad
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1945 -Mr Hennesy guardian Angel of bikes
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany19450906-01.2.39&…-------
1945
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1946 ads
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December 1946
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1947 - vassar exchange - sell your bikes
1947 - bicycle exchange
1947
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1947 - Bike Shop Ad Van der Lindens
1949 - spring bike rules
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1949 - ticketing bikes
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=vcchro19491105-01.2.38&srpo…-------
1951
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1952 - Yale Vassar bike
1952 - complaints about bikes
1953 yalies and bikes
1953 - Ode to bikes
1953 - more bike complaints
1954 - Campus Bike Mayhem
1954 Yale to Vassar Bike Race
1954 - International Students and bikes
1964 - winter biking
1964 - Vassar protest IBM on bikes
1975 - First mention of Bicycle Exchange in Strong Basement
1976 - VC Bike Shop ad
1977 - mopeds banned - ride bikes
1977 - bike shop - bicycle exchange
1979- bicycle thefts
1980 - cycling team
1982 bike thefts
1983 - bike routes inPK
1988 - Arlington Student on bikes
1989 - aristotle
1990 - bicycle thefts
1992 - bike shop as campus activities
1995 - pedal pushers bike teamhttps://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=vq19950901-01.2.26&srpos=107&e=-------en-20--101-byDA-txt-txIN-bike+shop-------
1995 - Vassar Karen scolding the Misc about pedal pushers article
1995 - bike safety
1995 - bike thefts
1997 - bike theft ring
1997 - youths from off campus
1998- bike shop summer
1998 - students “OWN” the bike shop
1998 - bike thefts up
1998 - thieves caught
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany19980911-01.2.11&…-------
1999 - Consignment shop
2000 - bike thefts/campus safety report
2002 - Bike Share program proposal
2002 Bike Share approved
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20020503-01.2.14&…-------
2002 - bike share program starts
2003 - bikes stolen - register bikes
2003 bike thieves
2004 - Vassar bikes found in New Paltz
2004 - more stolen bikes
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20041112-01.2.11&…-------
2004 - suspicious kids/security/bike thieves
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20041008-01.2.23&…-------
2004 - Bike Messengers
2004 - Bike Circus
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20040416-01.2.19&…-------
2005 - bike club/team
2005 - Vassar Bikes reforms - Yellow bike share program to become pink bikes
2007 - more bike thefts
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20070907-01.2.11&…-------
2007 - pink bikes
2007 - Pink bike satire
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20070907-01.2.51&…-------
2007 Pink bike editorial
2007 - presidents editorial of pink bikes
2008 - Pink Bikes return with improvements
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20080925-01.2.22&…-------
2008 - roundabouts/bike racks
2009 - fire code violations
2010 - Bicycle thieves
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20100422-01.2.14&…-------
2010 - bike shop tinkerers
2011 - Pink Bike program decertified by VSA
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20110428-01.2.11&…-------
2011 - Campus Transportation Bike Share Program replaces Pink Bikes program
- Offered summer storage for $20 at Campus Safety
2011 - Security bike loan program
2012 Vassar/Yale bike race
2012 - more bike thefts
https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20120920-01.2.12&…-------
2013 - bike shop
2015 - Bike Lovehttps://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany20150430-01.2.32&srpos=141&e=-------en-20--141-byDA-txt-txIN-bike+shop-------
2018 - bike shop art scene
2019 - bike shop
Vassar/Yale bike race
https://www.ivy-style.com/bicycle-week-the-yale-vassar-bike-race.html
https://vccc.vassarspaces.net/items/show/1329#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-426%2C0%2C1236%2C540
LUCY MAYNARD SALMON
Vassar Quarterly 1913
“Vassar’s renowned history professor owned the first bicycle on campus—she had brought it across the Atlantic following a summer trip to Europe. James Monroe Taylor, who served as Vassar’s president during Salmon’s tenure, wasn’t keen on the notion of “wheeling” women. He found the sight of a woman riding a bicycle as undignified as the “abhorrent” split skirts (or bloomers) and high boots they wore while riding them. Brown notes that Salmon and Taylor butted heads repeatedly—over this and other issues.”
Misc. 1975
Miscellaneous Memories
1892: President Taylor objected to Miss Salmon's French bicycling culottes and high boots as too undignified for a faculty member. The first bicycle had appeared on campus in 1891.
2025, October 29,2025
Demanding bike path etiquette
https://miscellanynews.org/2025/10/29/opinions/demanding-bike-path-etiq…