Spring 2025 Changes

To ensure the safety of both pedestrians and riders, the uncovered walkway along the west side of the Cohon University Center will change from a shared riding/walking path to a wheels-only path in mid-April. The covered walkway that runs parallel to the path will continue to be a dismount zone Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This update better supports our current campus traffic patterns and addresses feedback from our CMU community. Learn more about the new wheels-only path.

Dismount Zones, Wheels-Only Path and Shared Path

As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, CMU continues to support "green" methods of transportation for those navigating our campus, including walking or riding personal wheeled vehicles. To ensure the safety of all sharing campus pathways, the university has implemented dismount zones — areas where riders should dismount and walk their vehicles — in high-traffic areas around The Cut. A wheels-only path (launching mid-April) and shared wheels/pedestrian path are also be available to help riders who want to cross campus without entering the dismount zones.

Crossing the Dismount Zones

The dismount zones are in effect Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (View adjacent map of the zone boundaries.) When entering dismount zones during these times, riders using personal wheeled vehicles — such as bicycles, skateboards, onewheels, in-line skates, stand-up scooters and Segways — should get off their vehicle and walk or carry it through the zone. Upon exiting the zone, riders may re-mount their vehicle. Wall and supplemental signage, as well as a variety of ground stencils, can help travellers identify dismount zone boundaries.

Medical and mobility devices — such as wheelchairs, sit-down power scooters and knee scooters — are always welcome and are exempt from dismount zone requirements. All other motor vehicle/cart traffic is prohibited within the dismount zones during the effective hours (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), with the exception of official campus vehicles that need to conduct essential university business in the zone areas. For safety, we encourage all motor vehicle/cart traffic to find alternate campus routes around The Cut whenever possible.

image of ground stencil marking dismount zone boundaries

wall sign at dismount zone main entry points

Ground stencils and wall signage marking dismount zone boundaries

Map of Dismount Zones, Wheels-Only Path (launching mid-April) and Shared Path

map showing dismount zones and shared riding/walking path

Read a text description of this map

CMU's dismount zones include the following campus areas:

The covered north-south walkway along the east side of the Purnell Center for the Arts (adjacent to The Cut)
The covered north-south walkway along the west side of the Cohon University Center (adjacent to The Cut)
The Merson Courtyard area on the southwest side of the Cohon University Center (near the tennis courts)
The two adjacent east-west walkways connecting the southwest corner of the Cohon University Center to the Purnell Center for the Arts and the Pausch Bridge
The north-south portion of the walkway connecting the Purnell Center for the Arts to Doherty Hall
The diagonal walkway connecting Doherty Hall to the Cohon University Center
The diagonal walkway connecting the Purnell Center for the Arts to the College of Fine Arts

Riders who prefer to stay on their vehicle can choose to avoid dismount zones by riding on the wheels-only path and/or shared wheels/pedestrian path across The Cut.

The wheels-only path, launching mid-April, includes:

The uncovered north-south walkway along the west side of the Cohon University Center (adjacent to The Cut), which runs parallel to the covered walkway.

The shared wheels/pedestrian path covers the following areas:

The north-south walkway connecting the southwest corner of the Cohon University Center to the College of Fine Arts (closest to the tennis courts)
The east-west walkway connecting the College of Fine Arts to Doherty Hall, which crosses behind The Fence

Riding Across Campus

Riders who prefer to stay on their vehicle can choose to avoid the dismount zones by riding on the wheels-only path (launching mid-April) and/or shared wheels/pedestrian path across The Cut. (View adjacent map showing the locations of the wheels-only path and shared path.) When using wheeled vehicles on campus, please follow these safety guidelines and requirements, including the speed limit of 5 miles per hour while on paths shared with pedestrians.

Wheels-Only Path

The wheels-only path (launching mid-April) will only be open to approved wheeled vehicles. Riders should stay to the right of the white divider line to create two lanes of traffic, one in each direction. Pedestrians are not allowed on this path at any time and should use the covered walkway that runs parallel to the path, or cross the path at the approved crossing area. Due to space constraints, motorized vehicles/carts (e.g., golf carts) are also restricted from the wheels-only path.
images of bike and scooter stencils that appear on the wheels-only path
Ground stencils marking the wheels-only path

Shared Wheels/Pedestrian Path

The shared path is open to both personal wheeled vehicles and pedestrians. Travelers should stay to the right of the green stripe to create two lanes of traffic, one in each direction. Pedestrians are encouraged to use the dismount zone areas during high-traffic times to reduce congestion for wheeled vehicles on the shared path.

picture of green stripe and icons that will be marked on the shared riding/walking path

Green stripe and icons marking the shared wheels/pedestrian path

Questions or feedback about the dismount zones can be shared with Transportation Services. Any accidents in or around the zones should be reported to the CMU Police Department.