The University released campus mobility updates on Monday, designating a \u201cPedestrian Friendly Zone\u201d area where students are required to dismount and walk personal electric vehicles, including electric scooters and bikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These new rules apply to personal electric vehicles, according to the University Parking and Transportation Services website<\/a>. These vehicles are intended for a single rider, including electric scooters, electric bicycles, electric boards and segways.\u00a0<\/p>\n Taking effect Aug. 24, the first day of classes, the Pedestrian Friendly Zone boundary area covers parts of the main campus that are busy with foot traffic.<\/p>\n The area is bounded by San Jacinto Boulevard to Guadalupe Street and 21st Street up to 24th Street. Dismount zones do not apply to non-electric wheeled devices, but users are \u201cencouraged to go slowly in the zone, be mindful of pedestrians, and always obey the rules of the road,\u201d according to the website.<\/p>\n \u201cThe University has been working throughout the past year on a series of mobility updates designed to enhance safety, accessibility, and the overall campus experience,\u201d a University spokesperson wrote. \u201cWe look forward to communicating this widely and in greater detail to our campus during the coming weeks, as planned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the Parking and Transportation website, the University is focusing on \u201ceducation (and) awareness\u201d through signage along the boundaries. As of now, some of the zone\u2019s perimeter has been marked with signs labeling it as a dismount zone and encouraging electric vehicle users to \u201cwalk their wheels.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is on encouraging safe behavior and positive reinforcement,\u201d the University wrote on the website. \u201cWe know our community wants a safe campus, so we\u2019re optimistic that these changes will create positive behaviors without the need for greater enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, the University did not say whether it will be issuing fines for infractions in the zone\u2019s dismount policy.<\/p>\n According to the website, the University is also adding designated bicycle and scooter parking spaces on campus as part of the initiative. The current parking spaces for these personal vehicles can be found on the Parking and Transportation website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The University cited multiple safety risks with electric vehicles, including higher speeds and issues with batteries, as the reason for limiting their use and not the use of self-powered vehicles.<\/p>\n The University published and deleted a \u201cdismount zone map\u201d in July. In emails shared with the Texan, concerned students and campus-goers wrote to UT Parking and Transportation after a July 30 Instagram post<\/a> by the user \u201cmikeridesatx\u201d called on people to \u201ccontact UT Leadership, City Council, and media contacts.\u201d The post also included a template he provided in a similarly worded Reddit post<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jenna Barro, an arts and entertainment technologies senior, included the Texan in an email she wrote in opposition to Parking and Transportation Services about the dismount zone map. In this email, she wrote she rides a scooter to and from class on 24th Street and Speedway and struggles with the heat of walking to campus, and \u201calmost passed out\u201d due to walking in the Fall 2025 semester.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I believe that walking \u2026 on campus is a beautiful privilege that I also love to do, I personally struggle with Austin\u2019s heat during the fall semester,\u201d Barro wrote in the email. \u201cUsing my scooter to get to class not only gets me there faster than walking, but it also helps me spend less time in the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n