Yale, Fordham Among the Colleges Banning E

Some colleges and universities are introducing bans for the upcoming semester, citing safety concerns.

It’s that time of year again. Colleges and universities around the country are welcoming students back to campus for the beginning of a new school year. However, something is different this year: several institutions have made it clear that while students are welcome, their e-bikes are not.

Several campuses are joining what’s becoming a growing trend in higher education of banning electric scooters and e-bikes, according to Electrek. This trend is growing despite the ever-increasing popularity of electric bicycles among college students, who gravitate towards them as an accessible and practical mode of transportation and a greener alternative to owning a car.

Yale University announced earlier this week that students will not be allowed to store or even ride an e-bike or other “micro mobility device” (MMD) within the residential area of campus.

“Although these devices have become a popular way for getting around campus, storing or charging them in densely populated residential spaces poses a severe fire and safety hazard,” Ronnell A. Higgins, Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Community Engagement at Yale, said in an email to students. “If you were planning on bringing any of these MMDs to campus, please leave them at home. If you brought an MMD to campus before this policy change, we will work with you on securing your device off-site until you can take it home.”

Safety is the primary catch-all reason given for the bans, with fire hazards and collisions with pedestrians being the main causes of concern.

“Anyone who owns these devices should educate themselves about their potential dangers,” Robert Fitzer, director of Public Safety at Fordham University, which instituted a ban back in January, said according to ABC7 New York. “We chose to put this message out now to give the campus community ample opportunity to make other provisions for their e-scooters/bikes.”

Fordham’s announcement came in response to a series of horrific fires in New York City that were caused by faulty or aftermarket e-bike batteries. According to Fire Department of New York data, as of July 3, 2023, there have been 114 investigations into lithium ion fires, 74 injuries and 13 deaths, reports TechCrunch. Compared to six deaths in 2022 and four in 2021, the trend is definitely alarming.

Boston College isn’t going quite as far as some other schools when it comes to banning MMDs. Earlier this week the college notified students of a change to their policy that as of now only bans electric scooters. Again, the reasons stated were concerns for pedestrian safety and fire risk. Whether electric bicycles will eventually be added to the list remains to be seen.

While lithium batteries are generally quite safe—the phone on which you’re likely reading this is powered by one—the danger comes when they are used incorrectly or are defective. The FDNY advises never to use second hand e-bike batteries, and to make sure that any aftermarket batteries (and chargers!) have been tested at a qualified testing facility.

Natascha Grief got her first bike shop job before she was old enough to drink. After a six-year stint as a mechanic, earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license, she became obsessed with framebuilding and decided she wanted to do that next. After Albert Eistentraut literally shooed her off his doorstep, admonishing that if she pursued framebuilding she will be poor forever, she landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, CA. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands. Somewhere in there she also became a certified bike fitter. Natascha then became a certified personal trainer and spent nine years honing her skills as a trainer and coach, while also teaching Spin. During the dumpster fire that was the year 2020, she opened a fitness studio and began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. In 2022, she joined the staff of Bicycling as News Editor.

Giant Is “Aware” of Fake Website. Are Consumers?

WorldTour Cyclist Winning Trail Running Races Now

The Dutch to Make This F1 Race a Bicycling Event

Wout van Aert Crushed His First Ever Gravel Race

U23 Paris-Roubaix Winner Tijl de Decker Has Died

Driver Who Killed Cycling Advocate Gets a Ticket

Do You Know Who's Looking at Your Strava?

Jersey Sales To Help Maui Wildfire Relief Efforts

The Headwind Time Trial Championship Is No Breeze

Cyclist Emily Bridges Makes the “Vogue 25” List

This HOA Banned Banned E-Bikes

Reggie Miller Humbled by Colorado Gravel Race