Since early October campus security has handed out 92 ‘administrative measures’ to people who have parked their bicycles in areas of the campus where this is not permitted. Exceptions were made for areas where it was ‘too crowded’ to park correctly.
“It’s the same story every year”, sighs head of EUR security Jelle Jager. “The rules are very simple: you are required to place your bicycle in a bicycle shelter.” But not everybody listens and that’s why campus security chains up incorrectly parked bicycles. To have the chain removed, the owner must first pay €7.50.
No more warnings
During the first month of the academic year security traditionally warns people by way of a notification placed on the bicycle – this is for newcomers who may not be familiar with parking regulations for bicycles. Starting 1 October, campus security issues an administrative fine of €7.50. By now Jager is familiar with the excuses given by parking offenders. “Usually they’re too late for class, or they come up with the well-known excuse ‘I only meant to park here for five minutes’.”
Still, campus security sometimes shows leniency. “We sometimes turn a blind eye in cases where there just isn’t enough space to park a bicycle. Two hundred parking places for bicycles are being built, so we’ll be a bit more lenient until these new parking places are ready,” says Jager.
Jager doesn’t refer to the charge of € 7.50 as a fine or a ticket, he calls it an ‘administrative measure’. “EUR doesn’t earn anything through this measure, it’s just to cover the costs incurred by security for placing and removing the chain as well as for the administration costs. It costs our people a lot of time, and time is money”, explains Jager.
