52° Fort Worth
All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

    TCU police to become stricter with motor scooter parking rules

    TCU+police+to+become+stricter+with+motor+scooter+parking+rules

    TCU police have not issued a single citation for motor scooters that have parked illegally on campus. That could soon change.

    TCU police Lieutenant Ramiro Abad said TCU police has begun to put warning tags on motor scooters parked illegally. If the warnings aren’t enough to make drivers of motor scooters park legally, TCU police will have to issue citations.

    Abad said the enforcement of motor scooter parking regulations is in a transitional phase.

    “It’s a gradual process for everybody, and we’re not going to go out there and just write everybody up,” he said.

    Sophomore physical education major Sam Watts said he drives a Taotao 50cc scooter around campus. Watts said he ordered it online and chose the brand because he thought the price was reasonable.

    “These are kind of cheap, and they aren’t really designed for quality,” Watts said. “I guess they’re the perfect thing for a college student.”

    Those who have motor scooters on campus said they prefer having a motor scooter over a car so they can cut through campus, parking in front of buildings to avoid parking in a normal parking space.

    What they don’t realize is that all of these ‘advantages’ go against the parking regulations set by TCU police.

    Abad said that any type of scooter that has a state registration needs to get a parking permit and abide by the regulations that are in place for motorcycles.

    This means that motor scooters are expected to park in regular parking spaces or the designated motorcycle parking in the library lot, according to TCU Campus Parking and Traffic Regulations.

    “We encourage the students to park it in the parking spaces, not on a sidewalk,” Abad said.

    Motor scooters are also not allowed to park at the bike racks or right in front of buildings because they could block access ways, which is a safety hazard for those in the building, he said.

    Watts said he has always parked his scooter at the bike racks and has never been told otherwise.

    Even students who don’t own motor scooters are noticing the leniency when it comes to motor scooters parking on campus.

    Senior biology major Tyler Brenneman said parking motor scooters is “easier and you can fit it in different places, even drive on the sidewalk. They definitely seem more able to find parking than if you had a car”.

    Brenneman said he’s been thinking about getting a scooter because it takes to long to find a parking space on campus. However, if students followed regulations, it could be clear that parking isn’t a free-for-all for motor scooters.