No citations yet in bicycle ban

No bicyclists have received citations for riding on Locust Walk as of last night, according to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich. But that doesn't mean that University Police won't give out citations to reckless riders or people just disobeying the bicycle restrictions. The restrictions which went into effect November 1, require people to walk their bicycles on Locust, Smith and Hamilton walks during most day-time hours. Kuprevich stressed that the officers do have the authority to write the citations. "They've not written any citations, [but] officers know that there are multiple citations they can write," he said. "The officers could write citations for anyone who is violating that policy on the walkway." Kuprevich said the lack of citations show a general willingness to obey the ban, not a lack of effort on the part of officers. Kuprevich believes riders want a safe environment on campus walkways, and support the enforcement of the restrictions on "kamikaze" cyclists. Still, Kuprevich said enforcement is at each officer's discretion. "If someone blows a red light, you might stop them and warn them, or you may write them a ticket," he said. He added that officers may still be giving students an opportunity to get used to the ban. If students do get stopped, however, "most officers won't just take a name, they'll want to see a piece of ID," he said. And they will have to pay a fine. But Kuprevich hopes it doesn't come to that. "I see what we had hoped, [students] either walking their bikes, or being cautious with their bikes," he said. "I've seen a lot less of people being reckless."