Every day, students bike across campus, gliding through stop signs or listening to their favorite tunes on iPods. Many students are unaware that such behavior is technically illegal, but rumors of stricter bicycle law enforcement may make students think twice as they bike to class.

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A student is given a warning by a member of the Department of Public Safety for failing to stop at a stop sign on Serra Street. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8000
Jason Chuang

A student is given a warning by a member of the Department of Public Safety for failing to stop at a stop sign on Serra Street.

Police informed bikers on campus last week that officers would begin to crack down on cyclists this week for running stop signs and listening to music on headphones.

Representatives from the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (DPS), however, maintain that the aforementioned laws have been in effect for years and that enforcement this week will be no different from that at any other time.

“We have not initiated an increase or decrease in enforcement,” said Deputy Chris Cohendet.

Because the California Vehicle Code states that bicycle riders have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle drivers, cyclists are, therefore, subject to the same citations and fines. The fines for these infringements can be steep, starting at $150 for a simple stop sign violation.

“These laws exist for the safety of bicyclists, pedestrians as well as others on the road,” Chief of Police Laura Wilson said in an email to The Daily.

The DPS has recently been active in community outreach efforts to inform the student population about the importance of these laws.

According to Cohendet, DPS has stationed a table at White Plaza every Friday since the beginning of the year to hand out pamphlets and to provide pertinent information to students about bicycle traffic regulations.

“The main purpose is to make the community aware,” Cohendet said. “In the summer months, there is less traffic and, therefore, fewer citations. In the fall, with the arrival of new students, the number of citations will increase.”

The laws’ enforcement remains a popular debate among students, and while some students resisted the stringent regulations, others supported the enforcement.

“If pedestrians and cars are obeying the rules, then cyclists have to as well,” said Leo Kim ‘11. “Cyclists are not above the law.”