New signage indicating pedestrian and wheel paths are part of the landscape master plan, which aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation on campus.
The pathways are designed to facilitate movement and improve safety.
According to Campus Regulations, the use of coasting devices such as bicycles, skateboards, scooters and roller skates is prohibited in designated pedestrian-only zones around campus. New signage indicates where riders are required to dismount because they enter pedestrian-only areas.
Campus planner Melissa Soto said the plan was inspired by an apparent need for safe and easy on-campus transportation.
“We wanted to create a wheel path system to help the campus community get around our large campus in an efficient and safe manner,” Soto said. “Creating designated paths in areas where there are a lot of pedestrians will assist with wayfinding as well as user safety.”
Before the project, walkways were for pedestrians only. The wheel paths available were located solely around the limits of campus and did not offer any lawful shortcuts in between. However, riders have previously ignored these campus-safety rules and often rode bicycles and other non-motorized scooters and skateboards in pedestrian-only areas.
The department of Planning & Sustainability understood that CSULB campus was too large and travelling around it could be time-consuming.
“We hope that the wheel paths will encourage the campus community to use alternative transportation to get to and around campus,” Soto said.
CSULB cycling club treasurer and second-year mechanical engineering student Jeffrey Sau said the new pathways are really nice, but claims he still prefers to use the streets when cycling to campus.
“Because I take the bus, I bring my bike with me since I’m not really fond of walking,” Sau said. “It makes it easier for cyclists to know where to go since now there’s bike police on campus. I think overall it improves the safety of everyone because it raises awareness in general.”
If the pathways prove to be successful, Planning & Sustainability said it is likely that the concept will be implemented in other parts of campus.