Bikes lend mobility to dorm residents Published Aug. 26, 2011 By Nick Stubbs 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Dorm residents have been one of the biggest customers of the bicycle loan program at the MacDill Health and Wellness Center, but the limited hours of use permitted left them with no transportation on base afterhours and on weekends. That all changed recently when the HAWC presented the dorms with nine new bikes to be kept and used by dorm residents whenever they choose. "The residents (of the dorms without transportation) didn't have a way to get around after work, and they didn't have a lot of options," said Master Sgt. Unhye Zipay, an Airman Dorm Leader. "The (new) bikes can be used when they need them until they get a vehicle of their own." Zipay said while the bikes will remain at the dorms, they will be managed and maintained by the HAWC, which secured the grant to purchase them when it became apparent the HAWC loaner program was not able to keep up with the demand or afterhours needs of the dorm residents. "This way they have bikes available to them all the time," said Joan Craft, HAWC director. "It was really good that we were able to make this happen for them (the dorm residents)." The bikes were formally presented to the dorms last week. They currently are not equipped with lights, and can only be used during daylight hours, but money may be raised to equip them with the hardware they need for night riding, said Zipay, who describes the bikes as mountain bikes.