As the weather in the District improves, more American University students are riding bicycles to school and finding it more difficult to find safe places to store them.
As spring arrives, the racks are becoming overcrowded and some students resort to locking their bikes to railings or benches.
Cyclists such as Rae Borsetti, a sophomore in the School of International Service, said that while biking is a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to driving or public transportation, it can be risky and inconvenient when safe places to store bikes are not readily available.
The bike racks are designed for use with various kinds of locks and it may be easier for a potential thief to compromise a lock when it is attached to other things. For example, if a bike is attached to a signpost a thief can remove the top of the sign and lift the bike off the post, according to biking Web site BicycleUniverse.info.
Trevor Whitney's bike was stolen while he was living in the dorms. Since then Whitney, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, has bought a new bicycle and a stronger lock.
Whitney said the university should definitely have more bike racks since he has trouble finding a place to lock up his bike when the weather is nice.
Other students said they are too concerned about safety to leave their bikes outside.
"Leaving really expensive playthings outside is a generally unwise practice," Borsetti said.
While Borsetti said she feels 100 times more comfortable having it outside here than in other areas of D.C., she said she prefers to store her bike in her dorm room to protect it from thieves and the weather.
She said while leaving a bike outside may seem safe, eventually someone will figure out how to take it.
In addition to being dangerous, parking bicycles anywhere other than areas designated for their use is against the rules set out for their on-campus use developed by the university's Department of Transportation Services, according to the department's Web site.
"Bicycles must be parked clear of sidewalks, ramps, building entrances and handrails/fences," according to the regulations.
Many students, like Corinne Ray, a senior in CAS and the School of Communication, are unaware of this regulation. Ray said she spends a lot of time at the Katzen Arts Center where there are no racks and students are forced to lock their bikes to other things.
Having no bike racks in front of Katzen was a "bad planning move," Ray said.
Public Safety also requires all students to register their bikes. If a bike is lost or stolen, this registration may help identify and recover it, according to its Web Site.
The Eagle contacted Transportation Services for more information about ticketing policies and what students should do if all legal and safe spaces for bicycles are in use. Transportation Services promised to send an e-mail detailing their policies, but The Eagle never received the information.
