Bicycles swarm OSU’s campus every day, but some drivers think cyclists need to put their training wheels back on and wonder what police are doing to enforce bike laws.

Campus bicyclists are required to abide by the same traffic laws as any vehicle, which includes stopping at red lights and stop signs, refraining from parking in unspecified areas and yielding to other vehicles and pedestrians at sidewalks, crosswalks and roadways, police said.

Bicyclists are supposed to ride on roadways and are prohibited from riding on sidewalks. The fines for traffic violations are the same for vehicles and bicycles.

The OSU Police records department does not keep records of bicycle traffic violations, said Pamela Temple, records manager.

“There (aren’t) many that are issued a citation unless they collided with a vehicle,” she said.

OSU police try to focus on problems that affect students the most, said OSU Police Capt. Eric Whiteside.

“We have to balance resources and focus on the most pressing issues,” he said. “We can’t handle all problems on campus.”

Bicyclists often ride through central campus on the Oval, and although some might disagree, it is not necessarily a traffic violation.

“The Oval is open to interpretation,” Whiteside said. Technically, the sidewalks connecting campus are considered “paths,” which means they are off-limits to bicyclists.

Lisa Allen, a third-year in mechanical engineering, started riding a bike on campus this year but said she was unaware of the laws.

“I didn’t know riding on the sidewalks was illegal,” she said. “Everyone does it.”

Fahad Syed, a fourth-year in political science and international business, said he doesn’t pay much attention to the bicycle laws, even though he is familiar with them.

“Do I know you’re not supposed to ride on sidewalks? Yes. Do I do it? Yes,” Syed said.

Syed said he thinks bicyclists break the laws because they don’t care.

“It’s not like police are pulling people over on bikes,” he added.

Harold Stith, a 15-year veteran CABS driver, said police should do just that.

“Ticket them just like automobiles,” Stith said. “It’d be a good idea.”

Stith often sees bikers “dart in front” of him.

“They think these buses stop on a dime,” he said. “They don’t look.”

Most riders are discourteous, and education is the best way to alleviate frustrations, Stith said.

Judy Willour, the organist and choir director for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, said she has been frustrated with cyclists for 15 years.

During her daily commute to Woodruff Avenue and High Street this fall, she has noticed an increase in “erratic” riders, she said.

Willour attributes the behavior in part to the influx of freshmen.

“Some of them are from small towns and aren’t used to the traffic,” she said. “The biggest problem is that they come out of hidden driveways without looking.”

An outline of university transportation and parking policies, including bicycle laws, can be found at tp.osu.edu/policiesandprocedures.