The Department of Public Safety’s campaign to increase enforcement of Oregon’s bike rules moved into full swing on Friday, as officers issued a handful of citations to students who failed to dismount their bicycles in regulated areas of campus.
DPS issued seven tickets for $20 each around the EMU Breezeway during the first 30-minute enforcement shift last week, DPS Lt. Herb Horner said.
As officers began a second enforcement shift, Horner said the ASUO stationed people in the
area to warn bicyclists to dismount to avoid a ticket — a practice he was happy with, so long as it encouraged bicyclists to dismount and not risk injuring pedestrians.
Now students who fail to yield to pedestrians or fail to dismount in areas such as the EMU Breezeway and the path from the residence halls to the EMU face fines of up to $25, according to DPS. In addition, at least one Eugene Police Department officer works the campus area on a daily basis issuing tickets to bicyclists who run stop signs or don’t obey traffic signals.
DPS began amping up bike enforcement this fall after receiving more complaints last year from pedestrians who were hit or nearly hit by bikes on campus, Horner said in an interview earlier this fall.
The department posted sandwich signs, handed out information on bike laws and issued warnings for several weeks before launching full-scale enforcement.

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