LETTER: Walking is safest choice

Editor,

Walking thoughtfully is the widespread, expected, traditional and normal sidewalk use for our campus. The widened and extra-heavy main sidewalks are designed for Logan City emergency vehicles, not for campus raceways. A bicycle hit me from the back last Friday as its rider wove between students who had just crossed 700 North. It was a minor collision; he was not going very fast and no one was hurt, but it was too congested to be riding then.

Wednesday, however, at the 11:30 a.m. class break, a student rode a bicycle at high speed down the ramp east of The Hub. There is a blind corner at the bottom of that ramp; had someone stepped out, The Statesman could have had a very serious accident to report. I heard another coming so I hung back and sure enough, a second rider flashed by, sped up the south ramp and wove through students walking east and west past the fountain. Both riders were irresponsible and reckless, leaving pedestrians in their path at unnecessary risk. My hearing and reflection of the riders in the University Inn windows saved me from their ill judgment. I hope students at the top of the ramp were equally lucky.

The problem of much-faster-than-pedestrian travel is headed the wrong direction. Skateboard, in-line skate and bicycle riders should be stopped and ticketed if they are operating unsafely. It is easy to tell when speed is safe and when it is not. Individuals who refuse to do so should be confronted.

William A. Brindley