Bicycling at IU
Riding a bike is one of the best ways to get around campus. A relaxed bike ride to your campus destination is often quicker than using a car and offers a unique opportunity to experience the beauty and architecture of the Bloomington campus. If you choose to bike, and we hope you do, please remember that your bike is a vehicle. Just like a motorist, it's your responsibility to learn and obey the rules that apply to you as a cyclist.
Register Your Bike
If you plan to park your bicycle on campus, university regulations require that you register and display a valid bicycle permit. A bicycle can be a major investment, so be sure to protect it by registering with
Parking Operations as soon as possible. Registration may prevent ticketing and impoundment, aids in the recovery of lost or stolen bicycles, and can even help with accident victim identification. The one-time registration fee of $10.00 goes toward improving bike facilities on campus.
Registration applications
Applications for bike registration are available at the Parking Operations office located in the Henderson Parking garage. You'll need the following to register your bike:
- Owner's name, address and phone number
- IU University ID number (IU students and employees)
- Bicycle make, style, speeds, color and distinguishing marks
- Serial number
- $10.00 registration fee (valid for as long as you own your bike)
Affix your bicycle permit to the frame or front fender of the bicycle. Do not use tape, magnets, string or other materials to attach the permit.
Bike Auction
Looking for a great deal on a new ride? Parking Operations holds periodic bicycle auctions, usually in September and May, where hundreds of abandoned and unclaimed bikes are sold. Auctions are held in the Jordan Ave. parking garage (see map below). Cash and checks are accepted, and all sales are final. Contact Parking Operations for more information.
2013 Spring Bike Auction
Parking Operations will hold the Spring bike auction on May 11, 2013 at 9 a.m. in the lower level of the Jordan Parking Garage.
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Bike Regulations
Register your bike! Be aware that all unregistered and improperly parked bikes are subject to ticketing and/or impoundment. All impounded bicycles will be subject to a $20.00 fine plus a $10.00 registration fee. When parking your bicycle on the IU campus, you agree to abide by IU parking rules and regulations and Indiana traffic laws. A bicycle is considered a motor vehicle insofar as the nature of the vehicle permits, so as a bicyclist, you are required to obey all traffic regulations. A $20.00 fine will be assessed for each violation below:
- Always ride with the flow of traffic, and never on sidewalks or other pedestrian walkways, on grass or nonpaved areas, or in university buildings.
- Park your bike only in designated areas (and as a courtesy to fellow cyclists, park in only one space).
- If your bicycle is impeding pedestrian traffic (including access for the disabled and blind), it may be ticketed and impounded without prior notice.
- Bicycles which are deemed abandoned or derelict may be impounded.
Please do NOT park your bike in the following locations:
- Inside administrative or classroom buildings
- In stairwells or hallways of residence halls
- On sidewalks
- Against or fastened to any tree, bush, plant or foliage
- Chained to or rested against Disabled ramps, light poles, telephone poles, handrails, bus shelters, university signs, public seating fixtures, trash receptacles or fences
- Against or fastened to any water, steam, or gas pipe or any electrical fixture or emergency device
Parking Operations and Parking Enforcement will not be held liable for securing devices (locks) which are damaged during impoundment.
Bike Impoundment
Reasons for Bicycle Impoundment
Your bike may be impounded when:
- It is a hazard or nuisance: If your bike is parked in a manner that creates a safety hazard, damages property, or prevents use of or access to any university facility, it may be impounded.
- It has been deemed abandoned: If left undisturbed in racks for extended periods, your bike may be impounded. Unregistered bicycles left undisturbed in racks for seven days or more may be treated as abandoned, and will be posted with an impound notice for seven days prior to impoundment. Registered bicycles left undisturbed in racks for one calendar month may be treated as abandoned. Parking Enforcement will attempt to notify the owner prior to impounding.
Reclaiming Your Impounded Bicycle
How to reclaim your impounded bike:
- Contact Parking Enforcement: Call Parking Enforcement at (812) 855-9849 to verify that your bicycle has been impounded. You will be expected to provide your name, IU University ID number (IU students and employees), description of the bicycle, and the date you noticed your bicycle missing.
- Reclaim your bike: Impounded bicycles are released twice daily Monday through Friday at noon and 5 p.m. When you arrive to claim your bike, you must bring picture identification and the key or combination to your lock.
- Pay a fine: You will be issued a $20.00 fine upon release of your bicycle. If your bike has not been registered, you will also be assesed a mandatory $10.00 registration fee.
Indiana University is not responsible for damage to locking devices and/or vehicles that require removal. It is lawful for the university to remove locking devices in order to impound a bicycle.
Unclaimed bicycles which have been impounded due to a lack of proper permit or inappropriate parking will eventually be disposed of at the discretion of the IU Police Department or Parking Enforcement.
Local Bike Dealers & Repair
Bike repair kits are now available in each of the five IU parking garages. Please see the booth attendant for assistance. Local bike shops include:
Local Cycling Events
There is a thriving cycling community in Bloomington, and we are fortunate to have many exciting, annual bicycling events, including the following:
- The Little 500: The Little 500 is the biggest intramural event on the IU campus and the largest collegiate bike race in the United States. The proceeds from this legendary bike race, held every April, go toward student scholarships at IU. For more information, visit: http://iusf.indiana.edu/little500/index.html
- Hilly Hundred: This classic bicycling event, covering 100 miles of challenging terrain over two days, is designed for the touring bicyclist. Ride headquarters are based in Ellettsville, IN. For more information, visit: http://www.hillyhundred.org/