If you are one of many UNM students who lock their bicycles to railings instead of racks on the way to class, watch out.
Due to a spike in complaints from disabled students, the Physical Plant is about to begin enforcing rules against using railings as bicycle racks by removing and impounding offenders' bikes.
"We do have a policy against it but it hasn't been enforced - they've been worried about the confrontations," said Rob Burford, a judicial affairs specialist with the Dean of Students office who is on the Campus Safety Committee. "But now they're having confrontations with the handicapped calling and asking, 'What are all these bikes doing here?'"
Burford said several people have called the Physical Plant to say they depend on the railings to get in and out of buildings. One caller was very upset because a bicycle chained to a railing on a ramp prevented her from getting out of the building with her wheelchair, he said.
Burford added that the Student Code of Conduct requires that bikes be secured in designated areas.
Bicycles cut from railings will be taken to the UNM Police Department, where they will be stored until owners come for them. If bikes go unclaimed, they will be auctioned off, said Gayle Ashworth, a department crime prevention specialist.
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Owners must have either registered their bikes with UNM Police or another verifiable authority, or must present a receipt or other notation that contains the bike's serial number in order to claim their property, Ashworth said.
"It's really endangering handicapped people that have been literally trapped in buildings," she said. "People are being really inconsiderate - even when there are racks. They're still locking them to railings. They've posted signs, and we've got pictures of bikes locked next to signs."
Owners will not have to pay a fine to retrieve their bikes, but if they can't prove ownership, their only option is to bid for the bike at auction, Ashworth said.
"If your bike is seized by the Physical Plant, it's seized for a reason, not just for giggles," she said. "It's a safety hazard."
Ashworth, who also is on the Campus Safety Committee, said the campus has more than enough bike racks for the number of bicycles. She said the racks that have been removed, such as several near Dane Smith Hall, may be in the process of being replaced with improved devices by the Physical Plant.
Physical Plant officials could not be reached for comment.
The decision to step up enforcement of the rules against locking bikes to railings stemmed from a Sept. 5 safety committee meeting, during which a Physical Plant representative relayed several messages from disabled people about the issue.
