Campus commuting: CU’s bike and skateboarding policies

If you don’t already know CU’s policies for biking, boarding and walking on campus, now is the time to learn! At this point in the semester, CUPD will be keeping an eye out for people who are riding around campus recklessly. If you are breaking the rules, you may be faced with a fine that will cost anywhere from $50 to $300.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to brush up on basic commuter courtesy…

Bikers:
• Bikes are considered vehicles when they are on the road, meaning they need to obey the same laws as the cars do. This means they will not get away with speeding, running red lights, or driving under the influence.
• When on the sidewalk, bikes need to act like pedestrians. They need to slow down and yield to the people around them. During times of high traffic on campus the speed limit is 5 miles per hour. Otherwise, the limit is 10 miles per hour.
• Light yourself up at night. You can get a ticket if you don’t have a front light and a back reflector.
• Turn off the tunes. It’s illegal to listen to music while biking.
• Read! If a sign says stop, you should stop. If it says to dismount, get off your bike.

Boarders:
• You are considered pedestrians. You should be going slow in high traffic areas, not pretending like you have the right-of-way.
• Stay out of the street. It’s there for cars to drive on, not for you to fly down.

Pedestrians:
• Look both ways before you cross the street. There’s a reason you’ve been hearing this advice since you were two.
• Make eye contact with motorists when possible. If you can make sure they see you, there’s a good chance they won’t hit you.
• Stay on the sidewalk when you can. If that isn’t possible, walk against the flow of traffic to make yourself more visible to cars.

If you’d like to look further into the Colorado state laws and CU regulations for bikes, boards, and pedestrians, here are some sites that CUPD recommends:

CUPD Pedestrian Safety

Boulder Bike Codes

Parking and Transportation Services Safety