Bicyclists need to be careful not to get in trouble while traveling on campus.

Whether because of laziness, convenience or misinformation, many riders lock bikes to trees and lamp posts.

Lt. Matt Kiederlen, operations commander for University Police, however, does not condone the practice of finding creative locations to lock up a bike.

The police, for example, will remove bikes locked to handicapped ramps, Kiederlen said.

“We try to be fairly understanding of the situation, but if a bike is left locked up to a tree or other non-designated area for a long period of time or we get a complaint, we will be forced to remove them,” he said. “Realistically, there isn’t a real reason to lock up a bicycle to a tree or railing because there are plenty of bicycle racks.”

If students find a location where they feel more bicycle racks are needed, they can contact the University Police and more bicycle racks will be installed, he said.

Students are supposed to stick to streets while biking on campus, but for safety reasons, many bikers use sidewalks to get to and from class – sometimes dodging pedestrians along the way.

Damian Carbone, a junior communication major, who bikes to and from class, said he needs to bike because he lives far away from classes.

“Other than almost getting hit by a car several times… biking to and from classes has been great,” Carbone said.

Rachel Iverson, a sophomore early-childhood education major, walks to class but feels in harmony with bikers.

“Sometimes I think bikers get a little too close to me when I’m walking, but otherwise, they’ve been fine,” Iverson said.

University Police can be reached at 753-1212.