Bicycle and scooter safety reminders
Mississippi State has seen a tremendous increase in bike and scooter use on campus, and the university continues to make the campus as friendly to bicycles as possible. Not only are bicycles a healthy alternative to a car, but they also help alleviate traffic and parking on campus. Cyclists and scooter riders should use extreme caution and slow down or walk their bicycle or scooter when interacting with pedestrians. Cyclists and riders should not use sidewalks and walkways when pedestrians are present. PHOTO: Beth Wynn | Public Affairs
Mississippi State has seen a tremendous increase in bike and scooter use on campus, and the university continues to make the campus as friendly to bicycles as possible.
Not only are bicycles a healthy alternative to a car, but they also help alleviate traffic and parking on campus. To help keep our campus safe, visit www.police.msstate.edu/videos/campus-bike-safety for a two-minute video on bicycle safety and review an abridged list of rules and regulations below.
-- Cyclists and scooter riders should use extreme caution and slow down or walk their bicycle or scooter when interacting with pedestrians. Cyclists and riders should not use sidewalks and walkways when pedestrians are present.
-- Pedestrian crosswalks are not for bicycles or scooters. Bicyclists using a marked bicycle path should use rules of the road while approaching an intersection with a roadway and come to a complete stop prior to proceeding through the intersection along the marked bicycle path. Automobiles are not required by law nor equipped with the reaction time to stop for bikes or scooters shooting across crosswalks. It is best for bicyclists and scooter riders wishing to use crosswalks to walk their bicycle or scooter through the crosswalk as a pedestrian.
-- Bicycles using campus roadways operate with the same rules as automobiles.
-- Bicyclists and scooter riders are strongly encouraged to wear safety equipment while on campus, including helmets, as well as properly maintain the mechanical aspects of their bike or scooter for the safest riding experience possible. The City of Starkville would also like to remind you of your responsibility when riding a bicycle between campus and the city. Starkville has a helmet ordinance which requires all persons on a bicycle to wear a helmet. Cyclists can be cited and fined for not wearing a helmet when riding in the city limits.
-- Bike rack use on campus is mandatory. We ask all bicyclists and scooter riders to assist the university by not locking bikes in such a way that they block sidewalks or handicap access to buildings. Furthermore, we ask riders to refrain from locking bikes and scooters to campus trees, foliage, light poles or other freestanding posts, railings or other structures (except bike racks). MSU has a large population of students with disabilities who require accessible pathways and specific access to buildings, and the university is required by law to protect this access.
-- Bikes and scooters locked or left anywhere else besides a bike rack are subject to the lock being cut and the bike impounded by MSU Police. The owner is also subject to a fine as outlined in OP 91.307: Policies for Traffic and Parking Rules and Regulations for the Campus and Streets of Mississippi State University. Bikes and Scooters should not be parked inside of buildings.
-- Vehicle drivers are required by state law to give bikes a minimum 3 feet of distance.
-- MSU Parking Services offers free bike registration for your personal bicycle. Visit the Roberts Building on Lee Boulevard from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to register. Registration helps MSU contact the owner should the bike become lost, stolen or confiscated. Contact MSU Parking Services at (662) 325-3526 if you have any questions.
The university thanks you for keeping our campus safe and accessible. If you have questions or comments about this announcement or the university’s bicycle policy, visit the MSU Dean of Students Office, located on the YMCA Building’s first floor.
