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Bikes not stored on racks will be impounded Nov. 22; Police: Bicycles obstruct sidewalk snow removal

By Emily Pfund on November 17, 2010 6:30 am in Facilities Management / 7 comments

 

Students who believe a street sign or tree can double as a bike rack should think again.

Beginning Monday, Central Michigan University Police will cut locks and impound any bicycles locked to anything other than a bike rack.

Lt. Cameron Wassman said there are about 100 bikes locked to trees, signs and light posts around campus.

“We waited this long to remove them because it took us a while to see how big of a problem it was becoming,” Wassman said.

Despite an increase in bike racks on campus nearly every summer, Wassman said the number of bicycles inappropriately locked on campus has not decreased nearly as much as police had hoped to see.

“It’s a matter of convenience,” Wassman said. “As a general rule, there is still empty space in the bike racks.”

The bikes need to be removed because they complicate snow removal when locked too close to streets and sidewalks.

Areas need to be cleaned up in preparation for the winter season, according to a CMU Police press release. Bikes must be removed prior to snow removal because they act as obstructions.

If a student’s bike is impounded, it can be retrieved by contacting the department at 774-3081 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Students should have had their bikes registered with us and/or they need proof of ownership (to get the bikes back),” Wassman said. “We’ll do our best to verify and release the property to the rightful owners.”

Hudsonville senior Alyssa Geerts rides her bike from her apartment to campus every day.

She said people mostly lock their bikes to objects other than the racks because it is more convenient.

“I think sometimes it’s because the bike racks are so full,” she said. “The ones by Grawn can get pretty full later in the day.”

Wassman said all students should register their bikes with CMU Police and secure them with a U-bolt lock, rather than a chain or cable lock. Registration is free and can be done through the department’s website.

 

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  • Mike

    Seems like the CMU police have nothing to do but Impound bikes and write MIP tickets. All designed to justify their existence and harass the students.

  • Eric

    Isn't this considered destruction of private property by cutting someone's lock? Not sure if this is completely legal…

  • mae

    they need more bike racks then jeesh. How ridiculous and just another way to rip off the students.

  • None

    There aren't enough bike racks. It's almost the end of the first semester. This shouldn't be a problem anymore. A few new racks have been added here are there, but there still aren't enough. This was never a problem last year. If the police don't want people putting their bikes on trees and signs, someone should make sure people have a proper place to put them.

  • Andrew

    No, it's legal. It's just as if someone towed your car. But if you get one of those U-bolt locks as mentioned in the article, they'll have a hell of a time cutting it.

  • Rm_shorty

    Still need more bike racks on campus, but they say due to budget cuts they cant afford it, yet O look over the summer the administration building offices got new carpet and paint and administration gets new office furniture those things are all great benefits to the STUDENTS!

  • none

    Cutting the bike locks is a little extreme. I hope there is and email going out or possibly another form of information other than the paper. This could affect a lot of people, how long have they been discussing doing this? There has been a bike tied up in Barnes parking lot nearly all semester, it has not been moved or claimed since the first month of school. Somebody obviously hasn't needed it, but for those unlucky enough to lock their bike up spur of the moment and not be abel to find their bike. How orderly will it be to get your bike back? Where will they store all of these bikes at the impoind? What will their hours be?

    It makes sense for safety and snow purposes but will it be difficult to get a bike back? And some of the new bike racks, yes there might be more but you cannot always fit your bike in there. I walk to class to avoid the hassle of locking and unlocking my bike.