Bicycles on Campus

Bicycles are a great form of transportation, and don't require any kind of permit on campus. Bicycle racks are located next to at least one entrance to nearly every building on campus, as well as a large bike rack between the two Park & Ride parking lots on West Campus. If you lock your bike anywhere that is not at a bicycle rack, you run the risk of having it removed by Facilities Operations staff.

Unfortunately, bicycle theft does happen. We strongly recommend that you record the serial number of your bicycle (on the bottom of the stem post under the place where the peddles are connected to the bike) and register the bicycle with the Lawrence Police Department (Law Enforcement Center at 11th & New Hampshire). It costs 25¢ and can help LPD locate your bicycle if it is stolen.

Watch out for pedestrians!

If you go whizzing along the sidewalk at high speed, you're likely to scare someone, and that is a dangerous situation for both you and the person who is walking. If you are in a hurry, you will get to your destination faster if you stay on the road until you can get to your selected bike rack with the least amount of sidewalk distance.

Watch out for traffic, too!

You are on a smaller, more maneuverable two-wheeled vehicle, but that does not mean that you should weave in and out of traffic in order to get around cars, trucks, or buses. Often, the more you move around, the more invisible you become, making it very difficult for drivers of those larger vehicles to avoid hitting you in the case of an accident.

Traffic laws apply to everyone, even bicyclists, which is for your safety.

Safety First!

Please wear a helmet. It is easy to think that you are invincible, and maybe it isn't obvious to you why a helmet is important, but it is possible for you to do irreparable damage to yourself and your brain. Here are some statistics:

  • 700 bicyclists died on US roads in 2007, more than 90% in crashes with motor vehicles and 2/3 of the deaths were from traumatic brain injury.
  • 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 of those are serious enough to be hospitalized. That is 1 head injury in 8 reported injuries.


The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.