Students riding electric scooters, bikes, and boards across the University of Texas at Austin campus will have to get off and walk through a large swath of the university starting on the first day of the fall semester. UT Austin has designated a new Pedestrian Friendly Zone covering the area inside Guadalupe Street and San Jacinto Boulevard, between 21st and 24th streets, where personal electric vehicles cannot be ridden once the rule takes effect Aug. 24.
The university released the new mobility rules for personal electric vehicles, which it defines to include electric bicycles, electric scooters, electric boards, and Segways, according to KEYE. UT has also posted new dismount signage around campus to alert riders to the change. Under the new rules, shared Lime and Bird scooters will automatically power off upon entering the zone's boundaries, gradually bringing the motor to a stop so riders have no choice but to walk them, according to UT Parking and Transportation Services.
Why UT Says It's Cracking Down Now
UT Austin said the new mobility rules are designed to improve safety and create a more welcoming campus experience, per the station's report. Traditional and manually-powered wheeled vehicles, like standard bicycles, will still be allowed to ride through the Pedestrian Friendly Zone, and the university has urged those riders to slow down as foot traffic increases. Electric or motorized vehicles used for disability access and ADA accommodations will also be permitted inside the zone, the outlet notes.
The area isn't arbitrary. Guadalupe Street and San Jacinto Boulevard are both part of Austin's high-injury network for bicycles and pedestrians, meaning they carry a relatively high number of serious injury and fatal crashes, per the same account. Citywide, bicycle-involved crashes have topped 130 fatal or serious injury incidents since 2022, and e-scooter-involved crashes have hit at least 40 in that same span, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works data cited by the station.
That danger isn't hypothetical for anyone living near campus. A man died in an e-scooter crash last year on Guadalupe Street, known locally as “The Drag,” which borders the western edge of the new dismount zone, as previously reported by Hoodline. A September 2024 audit from the Austin City Auditor also found data tracking gaps in city crash databases, suggesting official numbers likely undercount the true scale of e-scooter injuries across the city.
Students Weigh Convenience Against New Restrictions
For students who rely on scooters to get around a sprawling campus, the change means rethinking daily routines. Mechelle Horne and Ashley Collins both use electric scooters to travel from their off-campus apartments to Gregory Gym, per the outlet. Horne said riding an electric scooter saves her time when heading to class or grabbing food, while Collins said she typically already walks her scooter down Speedway when it gets crowded.
Not every rider sees it as a minor adjustment. Lu Zhao, a doctoral student who uses a Segway, said walking her Segway across campus would be almost impossible if the dismount zone were implemented, according to the station. Garrett Fuentes offered a more measured take, saying the new rules are understandable despite being inconvenient, the outlet reports.
How UT's Rules Fit a Broader Pattern
This isn't UT's first attempt to rein in scooters on campus. The university previously enacted geofenced speed limits in March 2019, capping commercial e-scooters at 8 mph on high-density pedestrian corridors like Speedway, 21st, and 24th streets, according to Austin Monitor. Those early measures were developed jointly with scooter companies, but growing pedestrian density and crash numbers on corridors like Guadalupe Street ultimately pushed campus leadership toward full dismount rules.
UT also requires all students, faculty, and staff operating bicycles, scooters, or other micromobility devices on campus to register their devices for free with Parking and Transportation Services, which helps campus police return lost or stolen property. Riders who park outside designated zones face a $75 impound fine, while those who block pedestrian access, building entrances, Speedway Mall, or ADA ramps face a $150 fine, per a report from The Daily Texan.
The campus crackdown also mirrors tightening rules across the city. In April 2024, Austin restricted shared e-scooter operations citywide to just two licensed vendors, Lime and Bird, in an effort to limit fleet sizes and curb sidewalk clutter, as Hoodline reported at the time. More recently, the Austin City Council passed new regulations in May targeting high-speed electric two-wheelers and e-motorcycles capable of exceeding 28 mph on streets and park trails, according to Austin Current.
Texas Transportation Code §551.352 permits motor-assisted scooters on roadways with speed limits of 35 mph or less, but it explicitly grants state universities and municipalities the authority to enact stricter local rules, according to Punk Ride. Downtown Austin already bans e-scooter riding on sidewalks and caps street speeds at 20 mph under city code, per Zwheel, giving UT's campus zone one more layer atop a patchwork of local and state scooter rules. UT Austin says full details on the new mobility rules are available through its Parking and Transportation website.
