Campus Biking

Hello peoples!

So quick post that's been on my mind for the past few days...okay since the beginning of freshmen year. There are plenty of college campuses out there but not all relate to this problem. On my campus we have sidewalks and bike paths, pedestrians and cyclists. As a freshman I was thrilled to discover that my campus had bike paths. Surely this meant I could safely ride my bike on campus and not have to worry about being in the way of pedestrians or of them being in my way. I was so naive to think that everything would be fine. It took one day for me to discover that there is no respect for the bike paths on my campus at that most people saw it as an extended sidewalk. It was so frustrating for me, I tried so hard to try and follow every rule and look out for pedestrians as rode through campus, but other people walking around simply didn't care to pay attention. People would walk wherever they wanted so that it was convenient for them. Even though on my campus the bike paths are clearly marked with little bike symbols, outlined in brick, and tinted red, they are still ignored.

I do recognize that some bikers don't follow the rules of the bike path either, it is a problem on both sides. However, these paths were built for the safety of everyone on campus. I did my best to stay as strictly to the bike path as I could but even then I've had numerous near collisions and a couple full-on.

Last year I was heading to my evening class and it just so happened to be the last day of rush on campus. All the ladies who had finally been welcomed into their sororities were now running to their houses—conveniently located behind my dorm. Nothing wrong with that, the ladies who rush work very hard, they deserve to be excited. The problem? They were running on the bike path. I tired to slow down and stay to the side but with the approaching mob I had nowhere to go. I was at a near stop when when a girl ran straight into me. But it wasn't her who fell, she stumbled a bit and kept on running. I was the one who toppled to the ground with my bike on top of me. I think one person glanced back and asked if I was alright, but they didn't stop running to help me up. I waited for the group to clear and kept on going, only to be greeted by the next group of joyful girls. While this time I didn't fall, a girl nearly flipped over my handlebars because she wasn't watching where she was going. It was scary and I got scraped up. It was not a good first impression of sororities on campus for me. It wasn't till later that I had friends in sororities that I was able to respect them for the good that they can bring.

After that I invested in a bike horn, not a bell, a horn! Even that doesn't always help, but I feel better having it. I have multiple occasions of having to slam on my breaks—nearly toppling over in the process—in the hopes to avoid hitting someone. Then my favorite, when someone is walking with a group of people on the bike path and I can't get around them, thus making me have to bike at a snails pace that doesn't give me the momentum I need to stay balanced. That's normally when the horn comes out.

I try very hard to be respectful and understanding, but when I'm driven of the path into a bush it becomes a bit harder to feel like being nice. The whole point of the bike paths is to keep everyone on campus safe! If you are on a campus that has bike, paths please don't walk on them, for your own safety and for the bikers. Bikers, stay on the bike paths, I understand they aren't always the fastest route to get around campus but it isn't safe for anyone if you bike on the sidewalk.

I'm hoping to bring awareness about this issue on my campus in the near future but until I can do that I wanted to share my thoughts here.

That's my view!