A new rule called Walk, Don't Ride begins on the University of Arkansas campus Monday. Cyclists will have to get off their bikes and walk them through a heavy pedestrian area.
"I don't see it being a big deal about getting to class on time or missing classes or anything else, but it's going to be a shock...it's not going to be a detrimental shock but it is going to catch people by surprise," Senior Josh Vines said.
The walk zone will be bordered by the Arkansas Union building to the west, Campus Walk to the east, the School of Law to the north and the Fine Arts building to the south. See map below.
"If you're a biker and you ride a bike to get to your class really quickly, you might have to leave a little bit earlier," Freshman Griffin Pierpont said.
University officials said there will be sandwich boards that say "walk zone" posted around the area, and that campus police officers will be walking around enforcing the new rule.
University of Arkansas police officer Gary Crain said the new rule is an opportunity to educate cyclists and skateboards about riding habits. Pierpont said riders aren't always cautious around pedestrians.
"I think if you're riding a bike on campus you should at least be aware of your surroundings," He said, "And make sure you're not almost hitting people or being reckless, because it's just a common courtesy thing."
Crain said with enrollment of the university going up every year, the Walk, Don't Ride rule was inevitable.
"This is something that has been mulled over for years you know anticipating the growth of the number of students, the number of people that might have bikes, and looking forward it's just time now to take that first step," Officer Crain said.
The walk zone will only apply Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
