During the first month of school, police officers target bicyclists who are not following enforced bike laws, which are similar to the rules of the road. 

For cycling on the wrong side of the road or bike lane, bicyclists receive charges between $100-$120. While many are given warnings, police officers aren’t cutting students too much slack.

“Without enforcement, bicyclists on campus will not be able to change their behavior, so we have to act now and be strict at the beginning of the year. Otherwise, bicyclists will be doing anything they want,” said Skip Frost, deputy chief of the University Police Department.

Sgt. Andy Charles, of the Urbana Police Department, said “The same rules apply to a bicyclist as it would be for a car driver. Most of the time bicyclists forget to use hand signals when turning.”

Charles said if a bicyclist goes through a stop sign without completely stopping or chooses to ride on the wrong side of the street, they will receive a traffic citation, totaling $120. If a bicyclist rides on the sidewalk in prohibited areas, they will receive a city ordinance violation at $100, he added.

In 2013, approximately 100 citations were given out to bicyclists on campus, Clark said. Police officers target Goodwin Street intersections on campus the most due to a high number of collisions and injuries between bicyclists and pedestrians. 

In Urbana and Champaign, bikers who receive a city ordinance violation of $100 have the option to lower their ticket to $30 if they complete an online diversion program regarding bike safety. Bicyclists have 21 days to complete the quiz, totaling 33 questions.

Qiran Li, freshman in LAS, said, “As a freshman here, I have a lot of free time and since courses aren’t so difficult, I would rather pay the $30 fine along with diversion program, rather than the higher priced ordinances.”

Frost said he would like to see mandatory workshops, similar to First Year Campus Acquaintance Rape Education, FYCARE, and Alcohol Culture Explored Interactive Theatre, ACE IT, to talk about bicycle safety tips and regulations. 

However, Frost said he is concerned most students wouldn’t be interested in a possible bike safety program.

Grace Kyung, a graduate student in FAA, is trying to improve bike safety through a referendum to first improve bike lanes. She said most of the bike lanes on campus are broken down. 

“Wright Street between Green and Armory is the worst bike lane on campus,” said Kyung. 

Last spring, Kyung submitted a referendum question to establish a $1 student fee each semester to fund bicycle-related projects, including paving and painting bike lanes, creating a bike rental program, funding the Campus Bicycle Shop, expanding bicycle parking, hiring a bicycle coordinator and creating educational materials. 

Despite support from the Illinois Student Senate, Kyung was notified by the Campus Student Election Commission that she did not have the required 7 percent of student body signatures in order to pass the referendum.

Kyung plans to resubmit her referendum question for November’s ballot.

However, some bike lanes will see improvement in the next few years thanks to a recent federal grant given to the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District this month.

“During orientation week, the RA from my dorm told us ‘bikers have the same rules as drivers,’ but I ask myself, where does the line get crossed between the two?” said Lowie Rodriguez, freshman in DGS, who was riding down the opposite direction of the one-way street on Nevada Street and Mathews Avenue.

Rodriguez suggests that there should be a be an additional label on the “Do Not Enter” signs, advising bikers not to ride down this lane so bicyclists understand the danger of riding on the wrong side.

Walbert can be reached at [email protected].