OUDaily.com | COLUMN: University should protect students from bikers

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Dara Mirzaie , The Oklahoma Daily

Published: June 25, 2009

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During the school year, thousands of kids walk around campus trying to get to class. At the same time, they are trying to avoid one thing, bicyclists.

While the walkers are taking their time strolling through the South Oval, a biker is weaving between people, hurrying to class with nothing to separate the two than a painted bike lane that no one seems to obey.

Last week, I witnessed a bicyclists run into two pedestrians after it was clear that the biker did not know how to stop her bike. The two girls had scrapes on their legs and were lucky to not have any other injuries.

Do not get me wrong, not every bicyclist out there is clueless as to how to ride their bike. Some actually do pay attention to bike lanes, and pedestrians crossing in front of them. But for every one of those bikers, you have another that has no idea what they are doing besides pedaling.

It is clearly becoming more and more dangerous for students to walk around campus while bicyclists are speeding through the very same road. When a danger like this is posed to students it is the University's job to help protect those students. OU can do that by doing one thing, banning bikes on campus.

If riding your bike is the only mode of transportation you have to get to campus then that is fine, but once you get to campus you should have to lock it up and walk like the rest of us. It is not for your safety, but mainly for mine.

Bikers have also posed a risk to drivers on campus. We have all seen bikers ride across a street hardly stopping or looking both ways. All it takes is one driver to not pay attention for one second and the results could be deadly.

There are already parts of campus that says you must walk your bike from this point on, but hardly anyone follows those rules. Maybe we could use one of the people constantly writing up parking tickets on campus and have them enforce those no biking zones. Those signs are there for a reason, and if you can not follow it on your own accord, someone should make sure you do.

I know people may argue that riding your bike is environmentally friendly, and it is. But you know what is even friendlier? Walking. Think about what goes into making a bike, after all the metal on that bike was not magically formed. All it takes is one person to get seriously injured and people will become concerned with this issue, and I am just hoping that OU takes actions before that happens. Until then, all of us walkers are constantly in danger.

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Johnson184 2 years, 7 months ago

"The fact is, bikers are riding a speedy metal object, and if you happen to step right in front of a bike without looking, who's fault is that?"

I'm so with you on that. When I ride my motorcycle or drive my car... it pisses me off to no end when a pedestrian walks in front of me, AND the cops tell me it's my fault when I smash into them. Those of us who have "speedy metal object(s)" should never be considerate of others.

(rolls eyes)