Campus Police Chief: New enforcement needed for bike policy

By Alison Angel

Bikers will pay $25 for improperly parking their rides starting March 22, according to a new bike policy.

Police are currently giving warnings, but will soon start locking bikes in their illegal spot, charging students $25 to retrieve their bike. Photo by Kathleen BrownCampus Police will lock any illegally-parked bikes with a special lock.

Bike owners will be given 24 hours to claim their bikes by paying a $25 fee. If the bikes are not claimed after 24 hours, they will be impounded until they are claimed.

The Winthrop Campus Police sent out an e-mail Feb. 8 notifying campus residents about this new policy designed to ensure bike safety on campus and to stop interruption of pedestrian traffic.

The bike racks on campus are the only locations considered to be legal parking spots for all bikes. Frank J. Zebedis, Campus Police chief, said the policy was put into effect because there have been too many problems with bicycles secured to light posts and trees. Bikes have also been blocking handicapped access areas and building entrances.

Campus Police have been giving warnings to illegally-parked bikers since Feb. 1 to give the campus plenty of time to adjust to the policy, Zebedis said. He also said that since they began issuing warnings, he has not seen much response from the campus community.

“It does seem to be working,” Zebedis said. “Right now we are only issuing warnings for violating the bike parking. As of today (about one week after the policy went into effect), we have only issued four warnings, so I think people are complying with the policy.”

When students pay the $25 fee to have the lock removed from their bikes, they must provide proof of ownership, Campus Police said.

Zebedis said the fee was put into place to provide some substance to the policy. The $25 fee runs about the same as a fine for parking violations, he said.

“If we had a policy with no penalty for violation, where is the incentive to comply?” Zebedis said.

He also said that, at the very least, the fee will cover the time Campus Police takes to return the bicycles to people. Zebedis said he hopes the fee will discourage people from violating the policy.

Other than bikes being secured improperly, Zebedis said there have not been too many issues concerning bikes on campus.

“Obviously we have had some bikes stolen since the academic year began in August, but improper riding (against traffic or not yielding to pedestrians) or parking are the only issues we have dealt with involving bicycles,” he said.

Megan Carraway, sophomore art history major, frequently rides her bike to maneuver around campus.

Carraway said she’s never parked her bike anywhere except a bike rack, and she thinks the new policy will probably never affect her. She also said that, as far as implementing the new policy, it seems like a big solution for a small problem in comparison to other issues on campus.

“I don’t think (the new policy) is totally unnecessary, but there are other things Campus Police could be working on,” Carraway said. “I’ve seen students driving the wrong way and speeding along the front of Bancroft so many more times than I’ve noticed a bike problem.”

To find more information on the new bike policy at Winthrop and to see how it may affect you, visit the bicycle operation policy section online at www2.winthrop.edu/campuspolice.