With high gas prices and more freshmen living outside the residence halls, the number of bikes on campus has exploded this year by an estimated 20 percent, according to the Department of Public Safety.
The surge in bike-riders has left a shortage of places to park, and the University announced it will pull bike racks out of storage and place them around campus. The effort should create 50 to 75 new spaces.
“I first heard about this from my kids; two (are students) here,” said Fred Tepfer, University project planning manager. “They said, ‘you need to fix this, there aren’t enough bike racks on campus.’”
In response to the increased bike traffic, DPS, Campus Planning and Real Estate, and University facilities services are working quickly to install more bike racks on campus.
“Our biggest problem appears to be in the core along 13th,” Tepfer said.
He added that the University will most likely install a few more racks along E. 13th Avenue, though there is “not enough real estate” in that area to add many.
The Knight Library bike rack area and that between McKenzie Hall and the Computing Center are also likely to see new racks.
University junior Milind Nigam said he bikes to school almost every day.
“If I come at 10 there’s no spots left,” Nigam, who prefers to park along E. 13th Avenue near Lillis Business Complex, said. “I think 10 is the prime time for people to have classes.”
In general, students who regularly bike to campus are feeling the overcrowding.
“Quite a number of students who bike to campus have come into the (ASUO) office complaining that they have no space to park their bikes,” said ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz. “The Department of Public Safety and Facilities Services should be commended for their quick response.”

In a memorandum circulated to the University community, DPS Captain Herb Horner warned students that despite the lack of bike parking, it is important to park in appropriate spaces.
“The Department of Public Safety has received calls from individuals all over campus about bicycles locked to accessibility ramp handrails, street signs, trees, light poles, etc.,” Horner wrote. “The Oregon Administrative Rule in this area is quite clear: Bicycles shall be parked, stored or left outdoors on the University campus only in areas specifically designated by the presence of racks or other devices for the parking of bicycles or the posting of signs designating the space or area as a ‘Bicycle Parking Area.’”
The University is one of the only campuses in Oregon where the number of bike parking spaces exceeds the number of car parking spaces, Tepfer said.
“Fifteen percent of students and staff bike to campus,” Tepfer said, which is roughly 3,700 students and staff, according to the Emerald’s calculation.
Tepfer said the University is tentatively scheduled to begin placing the additional racks early next week, although it is not entirely clear where all of them will go.
In preparation for this year’s fall enrollment surge, the University installed additional bike parking, but to its surprise, the actual demand was much greater than anticipated, Tepfer said.
The University usually has extra bike racks in storage in case a situation like this arises.
Tepfer said that when new bike racks and cages were added during construction at the School of Music and Dance, the University “took the old ones and facilities services restored them and cleaned them up.”
Typically, the University orders extra bike racks whenever it installs more on campus, Tepfer said.
[email protected]