New Penn employees, students, or visitors may not be aware of local traffic laws and bike regulations, and even the most experienced cyclists may be confused about the recent changes to the bike lanes on campus.

To educate members of the University community about laws, traffic violations, fines, and bike safety practices, the Division of Public Safety (DPS) is hosting its annual “Share the Road” bicycle safety campaign on Monday, March 25, at 11 a.m. in front of the Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St. The campaign is designed to answer questions about bike safety and provide information to pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists.

The event will feature representatives from the Penn Police Department, the Drexel University Police Department, the University City District, AlliedBarton, PennCycle, the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, Neighborhood Bike Works, Eastern Mountain Sports, and Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team.

Passersby can also register their bicycles with DPS, obtain free bike lights, and learn how to properly lock up a bicycle.

According to DPS, common cycling violations include failing to yield to pedestrians, disregarding traffic rules and regulations, and riding a bicycle on the sidewalk. 

“When you ride on the sidewalk, you are putting both yourself and pedestrians in danger,” says Joe Fischer, a captain in the Penn Police Department. “We also encourage cyclists to protect themselves from serious injury, and even death, by wearing a bicycle helmet.”

[youtube]http://youtu.be/1-zUG_hBVcQ[/youtube]

Maureen Rush, vice president of public safety, says the “Share the Road” campaign is one of the ways that DPS tries to engage with members of the community and to share information about safety—both on- and off-campus. 

“It’s about ‘sharing’ the road, motorists and bicyclists cooperating—and how important it is that they are aware of each other,” she says. “We make it easy for everyone on campus to register their bikes and learn how to be our partners in safety.”

From March 25-27, Penn Police and AlliedBarton bicycle security officers will be posted at multiple locations around campus to highlight adherence to safe bicycle practices and laws.

Public Safety’s “Driving and Cycling Safety on Penn’s Campus” brochure is available on the DPS website.