Winona State Parking Services has impounded four bikes this semester and left warnings on more than 100 for not being secured in bike racks.

Winona State Parking Security guard Nathan Dobbelmann said the university’s policy to remove bikes, mopeds and scooters is being enforced heavily because the rogue bikes are in the way of maintenance workers.

“We get complaints from maintenance people,” he said. “They tell us that the bikes need to be moved in order for them to clean up around campus, especially leaves.”

According to the parking services page on Winona State’s Web site, “If (bicycles, mopeds or scooters are) found chained to a lamp post, tree, building component, etc., the chain/lock will be cut off and the vehicle will be impounded with a $5 service charge imposed.”

“We haven’t made anyone pay the $5 service charge last year or this year because we usually have to cut a lock to impound the bike,” Dobbelmann said. “Replacing the lock is expensive enough.”

Two weeks ago, Winona State junior Ashley Kelly found a warning stapled to her bike when she left it parked outside the Smaug.

“I think it’s so stupid. There are no bike racks outside the Smaug,” Kelly said. “They need more bike racks if they’re going to start impounding bikes.”

Kelly said she thinks the university should have done a better job notifying students about the policy.

“There was no e-mail warning and they could have easily sent us a warning in that update we get every day,” she said.

Kelly said her roommate’s bike was impounded without warning after she had locked it to a tree on campus.

“She’s upset because she bought a lock for her bike and they cut it,” she said, “They won’t reimburse her for the lock and she never got a warning.”

Dobbelmann said if a bike is not previously seen misplaced and a description is not taken, the bike will not be impounded — parking services won’t take a bike without a warning.

“The only way we might take a bike without previous warning is if the bike was blocking a handicap accessible entry,” he said.

Dobbelmann said when a bike is left misplaced, parking services records a description of the bike.

“If we impound a bike, we keep it in a secure location,” he said. “Because we have no way to contact people, they should know from the warning we left to pick it up from us.”

Dobbelmann said next year people will not be allowed to lock mopeds and scooters to bike racks.

“There will be moped parking in the campus parking lots,” he said.

“We don’t know yet if they’ll have to pay for a permit, but if they do, it won’t be expensive. A permit for a motorcycle is about $25 a year.”