Skateboarders and bikers at the University of Utah (U.) will face new rules and safety warnings instead of harsher punishments like termination and suspension for not abiding by campus policies, according to a new plan proposed by U.'s Academic Senate, Monday.
The proposal is yet to be approved by the university's board of trustees. In May, the proposal won by narrow votes in the academic senate. However, the board's decision will be the final ruling.
Most of them, including Amy Wildermuth, associate vice president for faculty, feel that this policy is much better than an outright ban proposed on recreational riding of any non-motorized transportation on campus.
Offenders will be fined $100 on the second dangerous riding offense and their devices will be confiscated if they don't abide by the campus rules.
"The principle rule here is you must yield to pedestrians," Wildermuth said. "People have to make really good decisions when they ride their bike or skateboard. When it's busy, you want to get off."
The new rules prohibit anyone from riding skateboards and bikes on campus except for commuting between classes and university events. Professors feel that making a distinction can be tricky
One of the reasons for introducing the changes could be an incident that happened a year ago. Leonard Hawes, a communication professor sustained serious injuries after colliding with a skateboarder on campus. He then claimed that the action was intentional.
"The skateboarder ... deliberately lowered his shoulder and intentionally slammed into me, knocking me off my feet," Hawes said.
Hawes suffered serious injuries to his left shoulder and right hip that necessitated a joint replacement surgery. His attacker hasn't been caught yet.
"The university is tasked with making the campus a safe place for everyone," Hawes said. "I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else."
Police said that risky riding is a rising problem, especially among young, non-students who take the TRAX to the top of the U. campus and skate down the steeply pitched road to the valley.
The feds also stated that current rules are very difficult to implement because an officer has to witness the dangerous behavior first. However, the new policy allows distribution of safety brochures to people owning a TRAX, place additional warning signs and approach the police in case of any violations.
"I think police are doing some more creative thinking about how they can police this," Wildermuth said. I'm confident this version of the policy is actually cleaner and easier for police to enforce," she said.
