LETTER: Cyclists need to ride safe
Editor,
I have a few things to say regarding the article about bikes on campus. I ride my bike to, from, and around campus every day. There seem to really be only two main problems. The first being, not enough bike racks. I have had my bike stolen in the past because I had no place to lock it up. I realize that this costs money and I don’t want to get into that argument, so I will leave it at that.
The second problem is the pedestrians. They are everywhere, they don’t look where they are going, they don’t care who or what is around them, and they freak out when, on the rare occasion they do look up, they see someone on a bike moving in there general direction. As a cyclist on campus I have never hit a person. Although I do take credit for that myself, considering all the very close attention and pedestrian mind reading I have to do to get between my classes safely. In the rest of the world, the larger and more difficult things to maneuver get the right of way.
For example, on the water, ocean-liners get precedence over sailboats that, in turn, get precedence over motorboats because of the difficulty of maneuvering and/or stopping with short notice. Also, when you are out in the open water you are expected to look around you and make sure that you are not in the way of others passing by you. The policies regarding bikes on campus should follow suit. Pedestrians should watch where they are going and maybe look before they make an unannounced 90-degree turn it their path. As for the rest of Section 501.1 in the Walkway Safety Policy, I agree, “anyone using a bicycle, skateboard, or in-lined skates … shall travel at a reasonable, safe and prudent speed.”
Obviously, if a cyclist is going too fast or even talking on a cell phone, then they do not have the control they need to safely ride through campus. If we would have a little common sense and respect for other students and their choice of transportation, then no one would be “almost maimed” or even given a second thought.
Alex Arnel