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Bike to Campus

Riding a bicycle to work is a commuting option that can have economic, environmental and health benefits.

Campus Resources for Bike Commuters

All University shuttles have bike racks. This makes riding a bike, then taking the shuttle a great option.

Bicycles are welcome on the Evanston and Chicago campuses and bike racks are available at both locations. A secure bike room is available on the Chicago campus on a first-come, first-served basis.

More about bike rooms and racks

Both campuses now offer repair stations, including tire pumps. Please refer to these maps for Evanston (Evanston campus map) and Chicago (Chicago campus map) repair station locations.

  • Evanston Shower Facilities: The facilities in Evanston are in a restricted area, so you need to register by email with Transportation & Parking in order to use them.
  • Chicago Shower Facilities: In Chicago, facilities are available at the Lake Shore Chicago Park District Fitness Center at 808 N. Lake Shore Drive.
    • Visitors must sign in at the front desk. Showering privileges are available year-round except during the Fitness Center's six weeks of summer camps and when the Fitness Center is closed for holidays.
    • Note: Showering privileges do not give anyone permission to access other parts of the Fitness Center unless they are a member of Chicago Park District or have a Northwestern intramural card.

Taking Care of You and Your Bike

Bicycle Registration

Bicycle registration is strongly recommended for everyone who bikes on campus. Along with a good lock and proper locking technique, it is also the easiest way to keep your bicycle safe.

More about bike registration

Bicycle Safety

Follow our bicycle safety tips to stay safe while biking, adhere to biking restrictions and regulations and protect your bicycle.

More about bike safety

City Biking Information

Divvy Bike Share

Divvy, a bike-share system serving the City of Chicago and Evanston, is a great alternative to owning a bike and offers discounted annual memberships to students, faculty and staff. Docking stations are located on and near both the Evanston (Evanston campus map) and the Chicago (Chicago campus map) campuses. Visit the Divvy Bike Share Wildcard Advantage page for discount details.

Sign up for the Northwestern Bike Commuter Listserv

The listserv connects you with fellow bike commuters and provides information about the annual Bike Commuter Challenge. To sign-up:

  1. Send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.it.northwestern.edu
  2. Leave the subject line blank.
  3. Type the following command in the message:
    SUBSCRIBE bike-commuters Firstname Lastname