BERKELEY, Calif. — Students from UC Berkeley have started a Facebook page to protest hefty fines for bicycle-related violations around campus. While the fines themselves are not much higher than before, campus police have been enforcing laws at an increased rate during a time of unprecedented tuition hikes.
Students have been issued $220 tickets for offenses such as coasting in the campus dismount zone, chaining their bikes to railings and rolling through stop signs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Forty one percent more students have received tickets for violating bike laws this semester than in the same time period last year.
Campus police claim that they were unaware of the large fine until students began to complain. Capt. Margo Bennett of the UC Police Department told the news source that the department intends to find a less expensive legal code to enforce on campus.
