Dude, where's my bike?

The bike racks full, junior Jack Yates locked his bike on a nearby chain and went to class in Woodburn Hall last year. The bike was gone when he came out.\nWhile he was in class, Parking Operations was outside, blow torching or hedge-clipping their way through his lock to confiscate his unregistered and improperly parked bike.\nYates is one of many students whose bike has been impounded.\n"When my bike gets impounded, why should I have to pay $20 to get it out?" Yates asked. "It's their fault there aren't enough bike racks. I already have to pay for my car and tuition; using my bike should be free."\nThis year, 600 students paid $5 for the required campus bike registration. Fewer than 1,000 students registered them last year. Parking Operations officials said the purpose of requiring bike permits is to help identify stolen or impounded bikes.\nNinety-three bikes were reported stolen last year and 700 to 800 were impounded by Parking Operations. Bikes can be impounded if they are improperly parked or abandoned.\n"People will attach their bikes to anything that isn't moving," said Doug Porter, manager of Parking Operations.\nHandrails, trees, light posts and chains are the most popular alternatives to bike racks, Porter said.\n"(Students) don't think they should be inconvenienced by parking more than a block away. They expect to park at the front door," Porter said.\nIssues of safety and maintenance arise from improper parking, he said.\nParking Operations' only way to ticket unregistered bikes is to impound them, resulting in a $20 removal fee and the cost of replacing a broken bike lock.\nPorter said the division returns 200 to 400 bikes each year -- usually to people who called the same day it was impounded.\nIf no one claims the bike in 30 days, it can be sold at the end-of-semester bike auctions. Parking Operations sold about 600 bikes last year and used the proceeds for new bike racks to help alleviate the problem of parking.\n"Gaining access to the impound is a pain," said senior James Echelbarger. "Your best bet is to just show up at the auction."\nSeveral students suggested Parking Operations use its own funds to buy new bike racks instead of selling student property. When their bikes are impounded, students said they wonder why Parking Operations doesn't leave a courtesy sticker letting them know how to retrieve their impounded bike.\nThe ability to get back an impounded bike depends on whether you know your bike's make, model and serial number.\n"Over half of the people who have their bike stolen can't describe it," said Remona Franklin, IU Police Department secretary. "One boy called in and all he could tell me was that it was green."\nRegistering bikes for $5 at Franklin Hall Room 006 is one way to ensure a bike's information is on record, officials said. It's also a good way to ensure that your bike doesn't get stolen.\n"Thieves are opportunists looking for the easiest bikes to steal," said IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger. Some of the easiest bikes to steal are those with cable locks, are locked improperly or not at all and those unregistered.