Bicycles, skateboards, scooters, and other similar modes of transportation are always required to obey all traffic laws and to yield to pedestrians.

Bicycles and scooters should be registered with the free JMU registration system https://www.jmu.edu/transportation/project529-bike-registration.shtml For information about bicycle and scooter amenities at JMU, see https://www.jmu.edu/transportation/bicycletravel.shtml.

Bicycle Policies

People on bikes should ride in the bike lane, or if no bike lane exists they should ride in the road, and are required to ride in the same direction as traffic. People on bikes are required to obey all traffic laws, including stopping at stop signs and red lights, yielding to pedestrians, and signaling when turning. Bicycles are allowed on shared use paths and sidewalks on campus. 

It’s recommended that people on bikes wear helmets for every ride and use reflective gear. Virginia law requires the use of front and rear reflectors. See the full list of Virginia bicycling laws here.

For more safety tips for bicyclists, motorists, and pedestrians, please read this Urban Bicycling Safety Guide and visit Sharing the Road in Virginia.

1. Where to Ride

   • Bicyclists should ride as close as practicable to the right edge of the roadway. Bicyclists have the right to occupy the entire lane when they are overtaking and passing another vehicle, preparing for a left turn, avoiding unsafe conditions, or the lane width is too narrow to share with a motor vehicle.

   • Bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks unless prohibited by local ordinance or traffic control devices. While on the sidewalks, bicyclists must always yield the right of way to pedestrians and give an audible signal before passing a pedestrian. Bicyclists must yield the right of way to pedestrians or vehicles when pulling onto a sidewalk or highway from a driveway. When approaching pedestrians or other cyclists from the rear, cyclists should remember they most likely will not be heard.

   • Bicyclists must not ride between two lanes of traffic moving in the same direction unless one lane is a separate or mandatory turn lane.  On roadways, bicyclists shall not ride more than two abreast. Bicyclists riding two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, shall move into a single file formation as quickly as practicable when being overtaken from the rear by a faster moving vehicle. On a laned roadway, bicyclists shall ride in a single file.

2. Passing

   • Bicyclists should overtake and pass another vehicle only when it is safe to do so. Bicyclists may pass another vehicle on the right or left, and they may stay in the same lane, change lanes or ride off the road if necessary for safe passing. Note that passing motor vehicles on the right side may be extremely dangerous if the motorist does not see the bicyclist and attempts a right turn. According to Virginia Law, motorists must approach and pass a bicyclist at a distance of three feet and a reasonable speed.

3. Accidents

   • Bicyclists, motorists, skateboarders, or pedestrians must stop when involved in an accident and make a report. Report accidents involving death, injury or property damage to university police. All persons involved in the accident must give their names and addresses to the police and to any person involved in the accident or the property owner. If unattended property is damaged, the bicyclist must make a reasonable effort to find the owner and give his/her name to the owner. If the owner cannot be located, leave a note in a conspicuous place at the accident site and report the accident to the police within 24 hours.

4. Public Safety Responsibility & Safety Considerations

   • According to Virginia Law, bicyclists traveling on roadways have all the general rights and duties of drivers of motorized vehicles. When traveling on sidewalks, bicyclists should travel near pedestrian speeds, at like a pedestrian, and yield to pedestrians. It is the responsibility of public safety officials to maintain a safe campus environment through enforcement of those provisions. Where breaches in safe operation of bicycles arise, public safety personnel may refer a student to the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices and a student may be charged with a violation of the Dangerous Practices policy.

   • Motor vehicle operators should remember that a bicycle is a vehicle with the same rights as an automobile. Before opening doors, check for passing bicyclists. Do not overtake a bicyclist and then make a right turn in front of the bike. Give riders at least three feet of leeway at all times. Both motor vehicle operators and bicyclists should signal intentions, especially when turning to the right.

     • Use of a helmet is strongly recommended.

     • Bicyclists must obey all traffic signs, signals, lights and markings as if operating a motor vehicle.

     • Bicyclists must signal intentions to stop or turn.

     • Bicyclists should be predictable and ride in a straight line.

     • According to Virginia law, every bicycle ridden between sunset and sunrise must have a white light on its front with the light being visible at least 500 feet to the front. The bicycle must also have a red reflector on the rear, visible 300 feet to the rear. On streets with speed limits of 35mph or greater, a red light visible 500 feet to the rear shall be used in place of or in addition to the red reflector.

     • Bicyclists should use bright colors, lights, and reflective material to be noticed while riding.

     • A person riding on a bicycle must not attach himself/herself or his/her bicycle to any other vehicle on the roadway.

     • No bicycle shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number of persons for which it was designed or equipped.

     • Do not carry articles which prevent the operator of the bicycle from keeping at least one hand on the handlebars.

     • According to Virginia law, earphones are prohibited while riding a bicycle.

5. Prohibited Areas for Bicycle Riding

   • Bicyclists are prohibited from riding on the walking trails of the arboretum.

   • Bicyclists are prohibited from riding on athletic playing fields or within Bridgeforth Stadium.

   • Bicyclists are prohibited from riding in residential, academic or administrative facilities on campus with the exception of indoor bike tracks.

6. Registration

   • Per Alternative Transportation at JMU, students should utilize Project 529 to register their bicycles. More information on bicycle registration can be found on the Alternative Transportation website or the following link.

     • Bike Registration 

7. Storage

   • Bicycles may not be kept anywhere inside academic or administrative buildings without written permission from the building coordinator. If all the residents of a living unit concur, bicycles may be stored in student rooms and suites. Storage may occur only within the confines of the prescribed areas. Bikes should never be left in halls, corridors or stairwells or on landings or handicapped ramps.

   • Bicycles improperly placed or stored in campus residences, other campus facilities, hallways, corridors, stairwells, landings, or handicapped ramps will be confiscated by the university and forfeited by the owner. Wall mountings to store bicycles are not permitted; damages caused by the storage or transportation of a bicycle are the responsibility of the bicycle's owner.

   • When possible, lock bicycles to bike racks; do not secure them to trees, railings, lampposts, fences or handicapped ramps. Bicycles are not to be stored in campus bike racks or otherwise left on campus or within university facilities by persons not currently enrolled for classes including the summer sessions. Such bikes are considered abandoned property and are subject to confiscation and subsequent sale as state property.

Skateboards, Scooters, and Similar Modes of Transportation Policies

1. Public Safety Responsibility & Safety Considerations

   • Skateboarders and scooter riders traveling on roadways have the duties of drivers of vehicles. When traveling on sidewalks, skateboarders and scooter riders have the general rights and duties of pedestrians. It is the responsibility of public safety officials to maintain a safe campus environment through enforcement of those provisions. Where breaches in safe operation of skateboards arise, public safety personnel may refer a student to OSARP and a student may be notified of an alleged violation of the Dangerous Practices policy.

     • Use of a helmet and other safety equipment is strongly recommended.

     • Skateboarders and scooter riders should ride as predictably as possible and at a speed where they are able to avoid hazards and stop when necessary.

     • Avoid areas where there is heavy pedestrian traffic and/or speed is hard to control.

     • Persons riding a skateboard or scooter or similar mode of transportation shall not attach themselves to any other vehicle on the roadway.

     • No skateboard or scooter shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number of persons for which it was designed or equipped.

2. Where to Ride

   • Persons riding a skateboard, scooter, or similar mode of transportation shall use bike lanes or keep as near as safely possible to the far right side or edge of the right traffic lane so that they will be proceeding in the same direction as other traffic. When riding in these areas, skateboarders or scooter riders shall have all the rights and duties of a vehicle under the same circumstances.

   • Persons riding a skateboard, scooter, or similar mode of transportation on a sidewalk, shared-use path, or across a roadway on a crosswalk shall have all the rights and duties of a pedestrian under the same circumstances.

   • Skateboarders and scooter riders are prohibited from riding skateboards, scooters, or similar mode of transportation in residential, academic or administrative facilities.

3. Passing

   • Persons riding a skateboard, scooter, or similar mode of transportation shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian.

   • Persons riding a skateboard, scooter, or similar mode of transportation shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian.

4. Accidents

   • Bicyclists, motorists, skateboarders, or pedestrians must stop when involved in an accident and make a report. Report accidents involving death, injury or property damage to university police. All persons involved in the accident must give their names and addresses to the police and to any person involved in the accident or the property owner. If unattended property is damaged, the bicyclist must make a reasonable effort to find the owner and give his/her name to the owner. If the owner cannot be located, leave a note in a conspicuous place at the accident site and report the accident to the police within 24 hours.

Have you experience a close call? Please report it here:
https://www.jmu.edu/humanresources/forms/workers-comp/index.shtml

All crashes involving bicycles, scooters, and skateboards should be immediately reported to the JMU Police Department 540/568-6913 

Would you like to see a bike rack at a specific location, or have another suggestion for us? Let us know here.