According to the UA policy, any bike that remains in the same location for a minimum of 30 days is considered ?abandoned property.
Sheela Kailasam, a sophomore majoring in finance and math, said she disagrees with ?the policy.
“They wouldn’t take a car that was parked in a designated space, or deck, if it wasn’t moved in 30 days,” she said. “How do they know the bike has been ?abandoned for 30 days?”
After the 30-day minimum, the University tags the bike to notify the owner that in 30 more days, they reserve the right to store ?the bike.
If not moved, the bike is stored for at least six months, when the University puts the bike up for auction online. Since fall 2011, more than 500 bikes have been auctioned off to the public.
Rebecca Brake, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering, said she does not see a problem with the current policy.
“I don’t see any problem with this, because I’ve seen bikes in front of buildings for a whole year,” Brake said. “Maybe they can try notifying the owner ?by email.”
Some abandoned bikes may also be used for University business and remain possessed by the school. Since the bikes become state property after they are collected, they cannot ?be donated.
“There is a problem with this,” Brake said. “What is the state going to do with all of those bikes when they could be given to the less fortunate?”
If a bike does get taken and put into storage, a student can claim it at any time with proof of ownership. According to the UA bike policy, the best way to do this is to have the bike registered for free with transportation services.
“I think that bike permits should be available in places other than just the transportation hub,” Kailasam said. “If I would have been able to print it out, it would have been a ?lot easier.”
Ronnie Robertson, the director for transportation services, said some students overestimate their need for a bike.
“Many students purchase bikes at this time of the year thinking they will use the bike daily,” Robertson said. “Most do, but some find that the Crimson Ride Transit System is more comfortable especially on hot, cold and rainy days. ”
He also said students mistakenly think they can keep their bike on campus over summer to use next fall.
“Unfortunately, bikes that are left on the racks over the summer must be removed in order to perform maintenance on the bike racks, and also to assure there is adequate space on the bike racks for the fall semester,” he said.
“I don’t think that abandoned bikes should be that big of a problem, because I would never forget my bike,” Brake said. “Don’t buy a bike if you’re not going to use it.”
