Dude, where’s my bike?

Thirty-two bicycles found on campus were impounded by Public Safety and donated to The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition this summer.

Bikes that are impounded are placed in a storage area in Lastinger Parking Structure. Photo by Kali Hoffman

Bicycles are often a way to navigate across campus for those who prefer not to walk, do not have the luxury of a car or the balance to ride a skateboard. When students first come to campus, Public Safety requires them to register their bikes for free, because it’s the easiest way for them to locate misplaced, lost, impounded or stolen bikes, said Randy Burba, chief of Public Safety.

About 45-55 bikes are impounded each year, but usually only 10-20 percent are claimed, Burba said.

Public Safety donates all bikes that are unclaimed for more than 90 days. This year, 32 bikes were donated to The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition this summer. Public Safety makes an effort to contact the owner before bikes are donated, Burba said.

“I like to say it was stolen by Public Safety,” Austin Ferguson, senior kinesiology major whose bike was impounded by Public Safety twice, he said.

“The first time my bike was ‘improperly locked,’ so Public Safety cut the lock and took the bike, hence why I say they stole it. The second time I left it on campus after the semester ended,” Ferguson said.

The first time Ferguson’s bike was impounded, Public Safety called him the same week to tell him. The second time, Ferguson said, Public Safety didn’t notify him, and it took about two months for him to realize that his bike was gone.

Bikes can be impounded for being unlicensed or unregistered, blocking Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access or being parked in a place that poses a danger to others, Burba said. Sometimes, they are taken for safekeeping if they are unlocked and an easy target for theft, Burba said.

Impounded bikes are kept in a storage area in the Lastinger Parking Structure.

“Sometimes (Public Safety) will find a seat, a kickstand or gears that were taken off the bikes at some point and we store them here too,” Public Safety Sergeant Michael Kelly said.

When Public Safety impounds a bike, they sometimes have to break its lock, but they sell the newest model of U-locks for $20 so bike owners can purchase a new lock when they come to pick up their bike, Burba said.

Ferguson’s bike locks were cut both times, forcing him to buy new ones, he said. While his bike wasn’t damaged the first time it was impounded, the second time, his light mount had been removed, he said.

At the end of the school year, notices are sent or placed on the racks telling students that they need to take the bikes home or find storage if they are leaving for the summer, Burba said.

“The students are sent an email from the Resident Life and First Year Experience staff stating that the students need to remove their bicycles from campus during the summer, Burba said.

“They are also given information that Orange Cycle will store their bicycle over the summer for $10 a month in case they can’t bring their bicycle back home with them,” he said.