The City of Gaffney and Limestone University are launching a pilot program to help people get around town.
A new pilot program between the college and city will launch with 20 bicycles, mostly spread around the Limestone University campus for students and community members to use, though some can be found in downtown Gaffney.
The program is part of a community service project for students Rashae Brown, Caitlyn Gilmore, William Finnearty, Cason McClendon, Abigail Tredway, and Haley White, all part of Limestone University’s Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Class.
The project was originally pitched to the city by students Mason Gilbert, Abigail Smith and Alison Walsh in 2021. It is the brainchild of former students Sophie Bosserhoff, Marina Carbonara, and Carleigh Davis.
During their presentation to Gaffney City Council two years ago, students explained that such a bike-share program, starting with a pilot project at Limestone, would not only help the community, but also help university students.
Limestone has a large international student population, and most of those students do not own cars. The students explained that a bike-share program would improve the commute to classes and around town to shop and to make it easier to become a part of the fabric of the local community.
In 2022, the city agreed to allocate $25,000 of money it received from the American Rescue Plan Act to implement the program. The hope for the program is to expand it to include more bicycles around the city.
