Maybe it’s the inflated La Jolla gas prices. Or perhaps it’s the fact that it takes a hopeless half-hour to score a spot at Hopkins parking structure. Either way, one thing’s clear: Bicycles are booming.

But with popularity comes problems. The number of bike thefts on campus has risen in over the past year, and bike-related accidents are more frequent due to sheer number. But besides theft and bloody Library Walk collisions, bikers have also (ironically) had issues with parking. According to UCSD bicycle enforcement officer Ian Happle, parking is one of the more common, everyday obstacles that the eco-friendly alternative presents.

UCSD bicycle enforcement officers will impound any bicycles obstructing handicap ramps, fire exits or campus artwork. Bikes with flat tires, excessive dust or missing parts are usually tacked with a warning notice because their details indicate abandonment — and if these bikes aren’t fixed or relocated soon enough, they’ll soon be whisked away as well.

But at least your old friend will be going to a good cause. Impounded bikes are currently donated to the Donovan State Correctional facility in southeast San Diego, where inmates refurbish the bikes to send to children and nonprofit organizations. Bikes that can’t be fixed — no matter how many inmates grease their parts — are stored for the UCSD engineering department’s annual Junkyard Derby in May.