Bicycles, Boards, and Scooters

To help prevent theft and help us locate and return lost and stolen bikes, please register your bike with the Office of Safety and Security.

Bicycle Registration - free of charge. You may also want to consider registering your bike with the National Bike Registry.

 

Stay safe while riding! Here you'll find laws around bike safety and tips on how you can ride safely.

Battery Powered Devices Prohibited
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has investigated hoverboard-related fires across the country. For this and other safety reasons, many colleges, airlines, and municipalities have prohibited their use, charging, and storage. To help ensure the safety of the Bowdoin community and campus visitors, we have also decided to prohibit the use, possession, or storage of hoverboards, smart boards, balance boards, scooters, and similar devices on the Bowdoin College campus until safety standards are developed, approved by the CPSC, and implemented by the manufacturers.

People may ride or coast upon any outdoor walkway or improved surface for pedestrian use, subject to the following restrictions:

• Be courteous, stay to the right, yield to pedestrians, ride at a safe and prudent speed, signal your intentions, and give an audible alert when approaching from behind.
• Racing, acrobatics, grinding, or other tricks or stunts are prohibited. All wheels must remain on the ground.
• Riding a device on any object, structure, architectural feature, or landscaped area (other than outdoor campus walkways) is prohibited.
• The use of bicycles and coasting devices is prohibited within any building or covered area on campus.
• People using roller skates or rollerblades must remove them before entering any campus building.

It is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to hinder building access or egress. Bicycles. boards, or scooters are not permitted to be locked to hand railings, or left in hallways or stairways, exit pathways, ramps, or anywhere that may impede entry or exit from a building. Security will remove bikes that violate ADA or that are locked to trees, sign posts, or anything other than a bike rack.

Most stolen bicycles were left unlocked. To deter theft, please lock your bicycle to a bike rack. We recommend sturdy U-bolt locks or heavy-duty cable locks. The College provides numerous bike racks which are conveniently located throughout campus. Bike locks are available for purchase at the Bowdoin Bookstore.

Maine Bicycle State Laws
Maine law generally give bicyclists the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle operators. Bicyclists may use public roads, but they must obey traffic laws, yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, and yield to traffic when entering a road from a driveway. Drivers must give a 3-foot clearance when passing a cyclist. For a complete list of laws, visit the site at the link above.

Visit the Town of Brunswick Bicycles and Skateboards for their municipal code of ordinances regarding bikes/skateboards.

Abandoned Bicycles

Bicycles on Bowdoin College property that appear to be abandoned will be taken into custody by the Office of Safety and Security, logged, and stored for a period of one year, or unless claimed by the owner. Unclaimed bicycles are donated to charitable organizations.

Student bicycles may be stored in secure bicycle storage rooms. Bicycles may not be stored over the summer without permission from the Office of Residential Life. Bicycle storage rooms are located in:

• Appleton Hall
• Burnett House
• Chamberlain Hall
• Helmreich House
• Howell House
• Hyde Hall
• MacMillan House
• Maine Hall
• Mayflower Apartments
• Moore Hall
• Osher Hall
• Quinby House
• Reed House
• Stowe Hall
• West Hall