For the past two weeks, SF State bicyclists fed up with overcrowded racks and the hassle of the Bike Barn have seen their own impromptu parking jobs met with hefty tickets.

Business major Abdul Alshehri was on his way home from class Sept. 21 when he was surprised by an unfamiliar lock on his bike and a Department of Public Safety business card. After calling the number, two officers arrived, unlocked his bike from the railing on the north side of Burk Hall and handed him a ticket for $58, the equivalent of a parking ticket.

"If you've lost two bikes before, and there's no open rack, what are you going to do?" Alshehri said. "When I came this morning they were all full."

When asked how he felt about the ticket, Alshehri replied, "Devastated. I was planning to buy some textbooks and a present for a friend, but now I don't think it can happen."

Hoping to discourage the park-where-you-can attitude some students have adopted, the university police have issued more than 40 tickets for improperly parked bikes on campus since their citation program formally began Sept. 14.

University Spokesperson Ellen Griffin said university police are using the citations to deter bicyclists from locking their bikes to handrails that line inner campus pathways and ramps.

According to Griffin, as a federally funded institution, SF State must comply with and enforce Americans with Disabilities Act standards, which strictly prohibit protrusions from handrails and obstructions on pathways anywhere on campus.

"Ramps and railings are put there for accessibility. If the bike is blocking it at all, then access is blocked," said Jeff Brown, assistant director of the Disability Programs and Resource Center.

According to Brown, this creates an access issue for disabled visitors and students alike. He also mentioned that an improperly parked bicycle can be very disorienting for a blind person navigating campus with a cane.

University police want to encourage students to take advantage of the Bike Barn, a free and secure bike storage service located behind the gymnasium. Provided by the Department of Parking and Transportation, the Bike Barn offers a secure lock-up point staffed with attendants who say they've never had a bike stolen.

"It's been great for me," said 19-year-old Gurusuria Khalsa, undeclared. "I like it because I can ride in without going through the quad."

Khalsa said that her only problem with the Bike Barn is that sometimes there is no attendant on duty and she is forced to wait until they return.

"One time I was leaving campus at 1 or 2 p.m. and the person didn't show up for 45 minutes," Khalsa said. "If they could get that organized better, that would help."

Despite the addition of new racks a year ago accommodating 200 bikes, students said that during peak hours, finding a spot to latch up their bike is still no easy task.

"On several occasions I've came and it was just completely jammed," 30-year-old English major Orlando Richards said.

When this happens, Richards said he locks his bike to the railings in front of Humanities. He said he has never heard of the Bike Barn.

"I'm noticing that a lot more people are riding their bikes," Richards said. "So if you come at a certain point in the day, there's nowhere to park."

University police are promoting use of the Bike Barn as a solution to congested parking and problematic park jobs. However, upon totaling up the number of spots, Bike Barn attendants agreed upon a maximum capacity of 200 bikes, contrary to the figure of 350 listed on their Web site.

On Sept. 23, at around 1 p.m., there were over 200 bikes latched to the designated racks surrounding the Humanities and Student Services buildings alone.

"Obviously we couldn't facilitate every bike on campus," Bike Barn employee Chris Hardy said.

Despite this incapacity, Bike Barn employee Anthony Smith said that on average, the Bike Barn accommodates 50-75 bikes at once, and throughout the course of an entire day will only see about 100 come and go through the secured metal gates.

"We've never had anyone not be able to park their bike," Smith said.