Parking a bike at GBC campuses is not unlike the wild west.

With the school year underway, it’s not uncommon to see a slew of bicycles locked up around campus.

The problem here? The majority of the bicycles – and accompanying scooters, which are illegal – are locked up where they should not be. This is especially true for Casa Loma Campus at the Kendal Avenue Entrance.

The high number of personal transportation devices left around campus can be attributed to the students who either live close to campus or wish to save money on transit and choose the healthier option for transportation.

“There isn’t enough parking, and a lot of people use bike for personal transportation,” said Michael Nguyen a student at George Brown College (GBC). “It is more dangerous than sitting in the train… but I just don’t like the environment there. That’s why I use scooter.”

While students may see the problem as not enough parking, the Casa Loma campus has more than 50 spots available, with most bicycle racks further down on Bridgman Avenue.

Whether students simply do not know about these – or are just too lazy to walk and find them – the end result sees students leaving bicycles and scooters chained up in flagrant disregard for signs noting the act is not allowed.

Sameen Ashraf coordinator for public safety and security at GBC says that they are speaking with bylaw officers within the city of Toronto to improve the capacity of bicycle parking around campus. He adds that there is information for where to park at St. James and Waterfront displayed on electronic boards.

Bike racks at some locations, however, remain mostly underutilized because some students raised concern for security and convenience in getting to their classrooms.

Mandeep Sewda studying at Casa Loma Campus said, “In Toronto, we know that bicycles get stolen by homeless people… I think we need more space… there should be one security guard around that bicycle space, for more security for those bikes.”

The Toronto Police Data reveals a total of 2,026 bicycle theft related incidents reported so far this year. This would justify the students flocking to the bike rings at the front entrance where there is more student movement as compared to the north and south entrances of the campus.

Ashraf urges students to make themselves aware of the spaces available while ensuring safety precautions are undertaken.

“Use appropriate locks and methods that is string the lock through the wheel and the frame to dissuade and mitigate theft…Although not stationed there, guards do make their regular rounds.”

The lack of adequate and secure parking spaces becomes an even bigger concern when students end up securing their cycles to signposts and handrails which are not designed for such purposes, often near accessible exits.

This frequent sight can be observed near the entrance to the Student Association Space at Casa Loma.

The need for additional convenient parking facilities to support students commuting to college on cycles and scooters exists at all the GBC campuses with the security of the space being the top priority.

Plans are being made and students are hoping to see the changes when the cycling season rolls along again.