All bicycles used, stored, parked or operated on Kalamazoo College property shall be registered with a valid Kalamazoo College bicycle registration sticker. In this policy ‘bicycle’ also refers to motorized electric bicycle and motorized scooter.
Bicycles shall be parked only in designated bike racks placed on campus. When parking your bicycle, don’t obstruct walkways, railings, doorways or ramps intended for use by pedestrians or people with disabilities. Improperly parked bicycles may be removed and impounded by the Office of Campus Safety. The Office of Campus Safety shall not be responsible or liable in any way for lost, stolen, or damaged bicycles. Bicycles shall also be kept in good working order and shall not be allowed to deteriorate or become otherwise derelict.
If left unattended, a bicycle may be tagged as abandoned with a warning notice by the Office of Campus Safety . If the bicycle is not removed within fourteen days, Office of Campus Safety will impound it without further notice. This abatement process is performed in student living areas and other areas of campus on an ongoing basis. The Office of Campus Safety has the sole authority to determine whether a bicycle is abandoned. A bicycle is determined to be abandoned when it is found in the same location over an extended period of time (generally two weeks or more) with any combination of missing parts, dust/cobweb covered, flat tires, and rusted chain. If an impounded abandoned bicycle is registered under this policy, the Office of Campus Safety shall make a good faith effort to contact the registered owner so that they may reclaim their bicycle. If an abandoned bicycle is not registered under this policy, the Office of Campus Safety will dispose of the bicycle after holding it for ninety (90) days. The Office of Campus Safety is not responsible for the cost of locks, chains, other security devices, or any other item that may be damaged or destroyed as a result of removing any bicycle. The Office of Campus Safety has no responsibility or liability to replace or make compensation for such items.
The College has the authority to sell, surplus, destroy, or otherwise dispose of any removed bicycle. In most cases the abandoned bicycle will be turned over to the recycling department for use in the bicycle loan program. If you think your bicycle was impounded for being abandoned within the past ninety days, please contact the Office of Campus Safety at CampusSafety@kzoo.edu to arrange an appointment to view the impounded bicycles. Be prepared to show proof of ownership and ID in order to have the bicycle released to you. The Office of Security has sole authority to determine the sufficiency of such evidence, and the determination shall not be subject to protest, appeal, or review. Prior to the Office of Security releasing the bicycle to its owner, if the bicycle is not already registered, the owner will be required to register the bicycle in accordance with college policy.
Bicycle Abatement Program
The Office of Campus Safety removes abandoned bicycles from racks in order to maintain an adequate number of secure parking spaces and thereby discourage bicycle theft. Bicycles may also be removed from bike racks which are being relocated due to construction. Bicycles identified for removal are posted with a notice informing the owner that they must remove the bicycle from its current location within fourteen days or the bicycle will be impounded. Simply removing the notice will not stop your bicycle from being impounded; only the removal of the bicycle from that rack will let us know that the owner has not abandoned the bicycle.
All impounded bicycles are then brought to the Office of Campus Safety for processing. The bicycles are held for a minimum of 90 days. During this time, an attempt is made to contact the owners of the bicycles through Office of Security registration records to ascertain whether they wish to exercise their ownership rights.
If you believe your bicycle may have been removed and you wish to claim it, please contact the Office of Campus Safety at CampusSafety@kzoo.edu.
** Please do not leave your bike locked at a bicycle rack when you leave campus for an extended period of time. **
Summer Abandoned Bicycle Abatement
It is strongly recommended that you arrange for storage of your bicycle over the summer. If your bicycle is collected as abandoned by the Office of Campus Safety during the summer break, it will be stored for 90 days. Those bicycles not claimed by their owners will be released Campus Recycling after that time.
PLEASE NOTE: If you leave your bicycle locked to a rack or other outdoor object after the end of the spring quarter, your bicycle will be declared abandoned, your lock will be cut and your bicycle impounded. Housing construction and cleaning projects take place during the summer and bicycles that are not removed from bike racks near the residences and other campus locations may be impounded as a result.
The Office of Campus Safety will charge a $40 storage fee if your bike is impounded during this period. You will not be reimbursed if it was necessary to cut your lock in order to impound your bicycle. Please make appropriate storage arrangements before leaving campus for the summer or other extended periods.