Elevated construction and valet parking on bike lanes raise safety concerns among student cyclists – The Daily Texan

Protected bike lanes next to the Moody Center have been converted to valet parking, cargo, and University vehicle parking, increasing safety concerns for students bicycling in these areas of campus.

The University installed protected bike lanes with the construction of the Moody Center in 2022with the lanes running along Robert Dedman Drive next to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the Moody Center. According to Steven Guerin, a graduate student in pharmaceutical sciences who frequently bikes around campus, cars and trucks have been consistently parked in the bike lanes since the stadium was built and the lanes were constructed.

According to a statement from a university spokesperson, UT’s Department of Planning, Design and Construction said contractors are using the loading zone within the bike lane for summer work. They said all work near the stadium will be dismantled by the end of August.

Guerin said the bike lanes are also sometimes used as parking for University of Texas Club events at the stadium. He also said that when there are trucks or large vehicles parked in the lanes, they become completely unusable.

“It could really deter someone from wanting to ride a bike if they have a car parked in this lane and they have to jump (off the sidewalk) into a lane of traffic to avoid it,” Guerin said. “For me, it’s not like it’s the end of the world. It’s a nuisance, but I think for a lot of other people, it could be a problem.”

Erika Carlson, a graduate student in pharmacology and toxicology, said she bikes around campus almost every day and notices that bike lanes are blocked about half the time she sees them. Carlson said she wishes people who drive would be more careful when entering bike lanes.

“(People) are just waiting in the bike lane, I’ve noticed that especially on Dean Keeton, because I ride my bike down that street quite often and people will stop and drop someone off or wait,” Carlson said. “It forces me to have to merge onto a fairly busy street, with multiple lanes of traffic, and go down the hill, so it seems like a little bit more of a dangerous situation.”

Guerin said that while it appears the University is interested in getting more people biking around campus, with events such as an annual event By bike to UT Nowadays, we should work more.

“I wish (the University) would put a little more effort into thinking about the infrastructure that cyclists should use… and applying a little more control,” Guerin said.