Biking on Chapel Drive

Bicycling at Duke is an ideal way to get around, whether for exercise or transportation. We make it easy and convenient for you to park your bike safely and close to a building.

Duke Medicine transit map

Operating Your Bike

  • Certain areas of campus such as Abele Quad, the Bryan Center Plaza/Brodhead Center Plaza and Duke Gardens are bicycle dismount zones -- see the Duke Today story for details.  Walk your bike if traveling through the West Campus dismount zones.
  • In addition, bicyclists must comply with Duke’s bike parking regulations.  When not in use, all bicycles, whether a personal or bikeshare bike, must be locked to or stored in the near vicinity of a rack.  If the bike rack is full, place the bike next to the rack and out of the way of pedestrians and other traffic. 
  • Bicycles locked to trees, handrails, signs, landscape posts and chains or other stationary items, or are abandoned on campus may be confiscated and the owner will be charged a fine and daily impound fees. 
  • U-locks are preferred over chain/cable locks to deter bicycle theft.

Registering Your Bike

If you park your bike on campus, we recommend you register as a bike commuter. Registering provides many benefits:

Ready to Register?

You'll need your serial number to register. 

Other Cycling Resources

Here are additional resources you might find helpful:

Bike Repair Made Easy

There are 5 Fix-It Repair Stations located around campus. These stations include a stand to hold a bike during repairs, a collection of bike-specific repair tools, and a reinforced air-pump that fits both major inner-tube valves. A QR code on the repair stand links to bike repair guides. 

Purchasing a Bike

There are a number of options for purchasing a new or used bike in Durham.  Some of these options are:

New bikes:

Used bikes:

Bike Safety

In North Carolina, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle drivers. That means bikes are allowed to ride on streets and should obey all traffic signs and signals. Please bike responsibly by signaling turns and respecting pedestrians. And, don't forget: always wear your helmet! For more safety tips:

 

Abandoned Bike Confiscation

Bike racks are intended for short term parking, except those located at campus residence halls. Bikes left outdoors for an extended period of time or over the summer are subject to confiscation. Multiple times a year, we tag and collect abandoned bikes. Please note that we are not responsible for damage to locks, other accessories or the bike itself.  If you suspect your bike has been confiscated, please contact us at 919-684-7275 or tranpark@duke.edu. We hold confiscated bikes for at least 60 days. If bikes are not claimed, we donate them to a local charity.

    Policies

    Duke University assumes no liability or responsibility for damage to or theft of any bicycle parked on or in operation on the Duke campus or properties leased by Duke University.