Mandatory bike registration will go into effect next month in order to have a more accurate database of bikes on campus.
Beginning Nov. 1, Texas A&M Transportation Services will require all students, faculty and staff to complete full registration of their bikes. Cyclists can register their bikes for free online until Oct. 31. After Nov. 1, all campus bike riders must pay a one time fee of $10 to register each bike.
Ron Steedly, manager of Texas A&M Alternative Transportation Services, said this new bike registration will allow Transportation Services to know exactly who is riding their bike on campus and make it easier to communicate with the cycling community.
Steedly went onto say optional bike registration has caused issues in the past, such as when it came to identifying the owner of bikes that were stolen or locked.
“Customers would register their bikes but never put the registration sticker on their bikes,” Steedly said. “Without the registration sticker being displayed, we still have no way of knowing who owns the bike or a way of communicating with them. If a bike is registered, this is an easy process. If not, proof of ownership may prove more difficult for the bicycle owner.”
According to Steedly, there is a chance that the $10 registration fee will increase in the next few years in order to fund the bike program, which includes the fix-it stations and the borrow a bike service that is free of charge for all Texas A&M affiliates.
“Even from the beginning, the registration fee has not been set to cover the complete cost of the bike program,” Steedly said. “We have intentionally set it lower to help ease into the change. The registration cost and sticker is a one-time requirement. It is not an annual fee.”
Steedly said that local and university police would also benefit from a more complete database of bicycle information, especially one that includes serial numbers. UPD Community service officer Lt. Bobby Richardson said a complete database is exactly what the campus needs.
“This new registration system is beneficial for us as a police department and it’s beneficial for the students,” Richardson said. “The biggest problem we had is when students would register their bikes and not put enough information in the database. If you’re only putting the brand name of your bike and no more information in the system, that really doesn’t help us. With registration being mandatory, that would help us tremendously.”
President of the TAMU cycling team Charles Arnold said although the new registration could help reduce theft, he is more concerned about his safety when riding his bike throughout campus.
“I know they have good intentions to provide programs for people,” Arnold said. “But the main thing for me at least, I just want to feel safe when I ride into school. Some areas on campus don’t even have bikes lanes. The services that help us find our bikes, fix our bikes and other things, I mean that’s great, but I really just want to feel safe on bike.”