Bicycles

Bike Safety

In Texas, bicycles are considered vehicles. When you ride a bike, you are liable for any injuries you cause to pedestrians, and for property damage. You are required to follow the same rules of the road as automobiles, with some exceptions. When you ride your bike, you should:

• Alert pedestrians as you approach them from behind by calling out “Passing on left!”
• Yield to pedestrians.
• Ride at safe speeds.
• Ride as close as practicable to the right curb.
• Use hand and arm signals.
• Keep at least one hand on your handle bars at all times.
• Never ride against the flow of traffic.
• Give an audible warning when passing pedestrians or other cyclists.
• Wear a helmet.
• Have a mirror.
• Have a white light in front and red reflector or light in the rear of the bike for night riding.
• Ride two abreast, but form a single line in congested traffic conditions.

Please refer to the Texas Drivers’ Handbook (PDF [Portable Document Format File] ) for more information on safe and lawful biking.

Registering Your Bike

If you are living in University Housing and would like to park your bicycle at the racks near where you live, it must be registered. You can register your bike any time, at either the University Village information center, or at any University Commons front desk. Unregistered bicycles at University Housing will be removed and impounded.

Parking Your Bike

Bicycle racks are located near every University building, including the University Commons residence halls and University Village apartments, though not always at the main/front entrance.

• 30 bike racks offering 460 parking slots serve the main campus
• 57 bike racks offering 500 parking slots serve University housing

Protect your bicycle from theft by securing it to a bike rack with a good cable lock. Please do not secure your bike to trees, shrubs, plants, stairways, walkways, handrails, light posts, or sign posts. Bicycles left in hallways, breezeways, or stairways, or those blocking public access or exits, will be removed and impounded.

Bikes left unattended on University property for a period of 48 hours or more, in a state of disrepair or in a condition that prevents normal or safe riding, may be impounded by the UT Dallas Police Department.

Bicycles on DART Buses

Learn how to load and unload your bike from a DART [Dallas Area Rapid Transit] bus, and get tips for a smooth ride:

• Video (2:12 minutes)
• Text

Motorized Scooters

Motorized scooters or motorized personal transportation devices are prohibited from being driven on University sidewalks, streets, parking lots or parking structures unless authorized by the Office of Student AccessAbility or Office of Human Resources as a reasonable accommodation required by the Americans with Disabilities Act or other federal law.

Motorized scooters or motorized personal transportation devices are wheeled devices designed for transporting one person with a deck designed to allow a person to stand or sit, and is propelled by an electric or gas motor. Motor-assisted bicycles are not included in this policy.