How Serious is the Anti-Auto Shift?

Quite serious for some apparently. According to this recent report from Milwaukee, A school there decided to solve their parking issue by giving away free Trek bikes, helmets, and locks to anyone who pledges to abandon their cars: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=788470.

• The plan was hatched when they realized the campus was at parking capacity. Rather than pave over green space, they found ways to offer incentives with alternative forms of transportation.
• 60% of freshmen picked up bikes (their most ambitious goal was a 40% conversion).
• The school raised about $50,000 from alumni, trustees and donors to pay for the bikes - far less than the cost of building a new parking structure.

"If we're going to do this, we'll have to look at some cultural changes too," Joyce said. "Maybe we'll have a more relaxed dress code."