For the past two academic years at the University, I regularly rode a bicycle around campus in order to get from point A to point B. It was great. I could zip around from class to class, and there were plenty of bike racks to lock it up when I was done.
But this year, I’m not riding my bike anymore. The massive crowds of students are just too large in some areas, sometimes making it very difficult to pass through.
In fact, the Union Oval and pavement surrounding Olscamp Hall were sometimes so congested with students that I found it impossible to pass whilst riding my bike. As a result, I had to take long detour routes to get to class.
And it was a pain. Sometimes I even see bicyclists getting stuck behind crowds of people.
Change is needed for those of us who get around campus on two wheels. I propose bicycle-only hotlanes for passage through heavily congested areas during the 15-minute breaks in between classes.
They would be extremely handy for students riding bikes.
For the most part, bicyclists can usually just circumvent giant blobs of students by taking alternate routes around campus. Unfortunately, to do so makes one go out of his or her way just to get to class.
Ideally, small bike-only lanes running through typically busy areas would be a great boon for our campus’ resident bicyclist base.
The lanes would be restricted to bike riders during the notoriously busy 15 minute breaks, and would be opened back up to regular foot traffic during slower hours.
But I’m not such an adamant supporter of bicycle lanes that I would neglect the rights of campus pedestrians who outnumber bicyclists with massive numbers.
To give bike riders free express lanes through busy areas on campus could have disastrous results if the lanes are not designed and regulated properly.
Narrow, 3-foot wide paths painted on the right-hand side of certain walkways connecting typically congested areas would work well for bicyclists seeking safer passage to and from class.
And when I mention safety, I refer to the safety of both bicyclists and pedestrians.
Anyone who has seen bicyclists on campus know how quickly they zip around on their bikes. Add all that speed to a busy area, and the recipe for disaster just got more potent.
I’ve seen people seemingly cranked up on some sort of wonder drug just trying to get to class as soon as they can’hellip; and they’re on bikes.
Wicked turns, rapid acceleration and a desire/obligation/need to go really, really fast are characteristics typically associated with campus bicyclists. And they’re well deserved.
I don’t mean to stereotype our campus’ bike-bound student population, but going forward at breakneck speed is very reminiscent of someone in a hurry.
And we, as college students, are very hurried. And we ride bikes, too. That makes for some super-fast bicyclists. That also makes for some pretty hairy accidents should a bicyclist accidentally smash into a crowd of pedestrians.
With one-way bicycle lanes running across large swathes of pavement here on campus, we could keep the bicyclists away from the pedestrians and improve safety.
The very reason why I stopped riding my bike around campus is because I was afraid of colliding into my fellow students. Those congested areas can be crazy during the class breaks, and I see these potential lanes as being the solution to a minor, yet widespread campus safety problem.
Guided by fluorescent yellow paint on the ground, bike lanes could lead our student bicyclists to safety – and class, too.
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