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Because of the growing population of bicyclists and skateboarders on campus, monitoring riders has become a bigger concern at UNM, said Interim Dean of Students Kim Kloeppel.
“With the addition of many students on campus and additional enrollment, it’s more congested on campus because there’s more people who use alternative forms of transportation,” she said. “We are concerned with … making sure the campus is safe for pedestrians.”
According to the University Business Policies and Procedures Manual, users of “nonmotorized vehicles,” which include bicycles and skateboards, must always yield to pedestrians and people who use wheelchairs. The manual also prohibits the use of these vehicles in areas 15 feet around campus buildings and the performance of “acrobatic maneuvers (and) stunts,” especially on ramps.
Violators of the policy may have their vehicles seized by the University, and might even be subject to arrest. The policy also mandates that the president of the University has the right to ban any nonmotorized vehicles on campus permanently.
The policy has been in effect since January 2000.
Kloeppel said that UNM is looking for a way to make the interaction among pedestrians, cyclists and skateboarders smoother. She said the University aims to adapt a culture known as “Share the Classroom and Sidewalk Responsibly,” in which students get off their bicycles when campus is busy.
But Kloeppel said the University has received complaints from students who have been hit by riders who do not follow the policy.
UNM student Caitlin Brotan said that although bicycles and skateboards are useful methods of transportation for students, they can often harm students. She said she has almost been hit by a bicycle multiple times.
“It’s kind of obnoxious,” she said. “I think it’s annoying sometimes, when they’re riding in and out of heavy-populated areas with students.”
Brotan said cyclists and skateboarders have been damaging furniture in some buildings.
“I live in the new (Casas del Rio) dorms, and they just put new patio furniture outside,” she said. “They’re starting to ruin it.”
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Brotan said that although the University is trying its best to enforce the policy, she thinks the administration’s efforts are weak. She said the University should designate areas and hours for people to use their vehicles and monitor riders more closely.
“Actually, I’ve never seen anybody monitor it,” she said. “But I’m sure they’re doing the best that they can.”
UNM Police Department Lieutenant Bob Haarhues said it is not UNMPD’s responsibility to enforce the policy because it is not a formal law in New Mexico.
“We don’t enforce policies; we enforce laws,” he said. “There’s no law about bicycling and skateboarding, only policies.”
Instead, Haarhues said the Dean of Students Office is responsible for enforcing the policy.
Kloeppel said the Dean of Students Office has been cooperating with other campus departments, including Parking and Transportation Services and the Accessibility Resource Center, to ensure enforcement of the policy. She said UNM has implemented “Be Kind,” an initiative which provides more signage on buildings and asks students to confront other students when they notice riders who disobey the policy.
Kloeppel said the initiative has been going on for eight years.
“We are trying to make the campus safer,” she said. “This is a problem that we have been working on, and we’re very aware of it.”
Kloeppel said the University is planning to hire two to three students to patrol the campus, an effort which will be funded by Student Affairs. Although she did not provide a particular start date for the program, she said it will take place soon.
“We like to have more monitoring, but we would like to have more personnel to do that,” she said. “We know this is a problem, and we want to create a culture on campus where everybody gets along.”
