Bike riders free to pedal Locust Walk

Ban gets lost in administration shuffle You can still ride your bike on Locust Walk, but things could change soon if the University administration has its way. In May, then-President Sheldon Hackney said bicycle-riding would be banned from the main campus drag between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m beginning September 1. But the order was delayed by the change of administrations. "We have not closed Locust Walk yet," Interim President Claire Fagin said. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said the restrictions could be in effect by November. Fagin said the decision to ban bikes was contingent on consultation with campus and community groups, and those discussions are now taking place. Kuprevich said it is essential to inform people before such a policy is enforced. "We are stopping and advising people," he said. "This is part of our educational initiative. You will see officers stopping and advising them to stop and walk their bicycles." Fagin thinks the biggest challenge in implementing the restrictions is communication, but she is confident it will take effect. "I think that once we do the work we have to do, we'll be supported," Fagin said. Fagin added she believes the University has the authority to limit bicycle use. But Noel Weyrich, president of The Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley, disagrees. "We have a real civil rights question about men in blue stopping people on bikes," he said. "Considering that we do not believe that the University has the right to do that [stop cyclists] we consider it unreasonable search and seizure." Weyrich believes the University does not have the right to restrict bicycle travel because "there is a law in the state, Easement by Prescription, and what that means is that if you leave a pathway open on your property for 21 years you lose the right to fence it off or pass rules for it." Weyrich said he thinks the planned regulation is not fair to careful cyclists. "If they would just focus on reckless behavior, and leave everybody else alone, and stop harassing people with notices... they'll be better off, everybody will be better off," he said. Students, however, have mixed views on the restrictions. "I think it's a violation of certain rights," said College senior Evan Nadel, a bike rider. "I don't think the University has the authority to determine our mode of transportation." "I think it's a good idea because [Locust Walk is] congested during the day and it's not a hassle to get off and walk," said another bike rider, Wharton graduate student Gary Boston. Wharton graduate student Steve Madsen wishes the policy had been initiated earlier. "Last year I got hit by a bike walking over the [Locust Walk foot] bridge on the way to the dining hall," he said. "So I appreciate the fact that you need to walk your bike."