While it’s true pedestrians can and sometimes do get hurt by bikers, the blame for these accidents cannot be placed solely on the cyclists. As a bicyclist myself, I know of the problems constantly facing us. But on the flip side, I also walk around campus as well, and so I also understand the dangers of being a pedestrian.
I would hardly say the experience of almost being hit or actually being hit by a cyclist is traumatizing. I have been hit by a cyclist before, and while I had a bruise or two from the experience, I was mostly just embarrassed and annoyed.
I think it’s only fair if students who walk from place to place complain about the bike lane, they should think about it from a cyclist’s point of view first.
Let’s think of this in terms of size, speed and direction.
A regular student walking on the sidewalk is much smaller in size than a bicycle. They don’t take up as much space and they have more maneuverability. A pedestrian is capable of moving from side to side just as easily as they are of moving forward and backward. A bicycle is rather long with handlebars that stick out and can only move forward and glide from side to side while moving forward.
On the South Oval, the bike lane is clearly marked by a painted bike on the walkway. Bicyclists love this lane and we take advantage of it whenever we can.
However, there are times when a student must cross the bike lane to reach the pedestrian walking area or one of the many sidewalks that crisscross the oval. That’s perfectly understandable, but hardly anything to complain about.
So a pedestrian has to look both ways before crossing — so what? So do cyclists. We don’t want to get hit by other bikers any more than the next person. Actually, we have much less time to look both ways, calculate whether a bike is coming too fast or slow enough for us the join in the traffic, and then merge into the lane than a pedestrian does.
As I said above, a bike must be moving in order to turn and most cyclists are still biking as they’re thinking, calculating, planning and then merging. A biker can stop like a pedestrian would, but why would we? It’s our lane, after all. Plus, we’d have to push off and peddle harder and faster to build up our speed again so we don’t block other bikers who may be behind us. A pedestrian can stop and do all of that at a much more relaxed pace.
Everybody stops at a crosswalk and looks both ways before crossing safely. So what’s the difference with the bike lane? It’s much smaller than the crosswalks on Lindsey Street and yet no one complains about crossing them, and cars are much more dangerous than bikes.
Now, as for road laws, yes, bicyclists are required to stop at red lights and stop signs, even though I’ve witnessed numerous college students blaze through them in their loud, obnoxious cars. Also, I didn’t know about having to walk a bike across a crosswalk, although that makes sense.
I always signal when I’m turning. I raise my left hand when I’m biking on Chautauqua Avenue and am preparing to cross over to the sidewalk on the corner of Chautauqua and Delta Street. But this seems to have no affect. I am constantly being driven off the road to wait while the cars behind me pass. I’ve practically given up hope of cars paying any attention to me so I pull over until the road is clear before crossing.
Since bicycles are vehicles and have just as much right to roads and sidewalks as everyone else, is it fair that we should be harassed by drivers who honk at us, yell at us to get off the road and drive past us so close it leaves me shaking from a severe adrenaline rush? Must we then deal with pedestrians, who must be yielded to by every vehicle, complaining about crossing a three foot wide bike lane on the South Oval?
I’m sorry, but that’s just ridiculous.
How about the university put in more bike lanes built specifically for bikers and restricted to pedestrians? But then, there would be more complaints about “not enough room for pedestrians to walk,” or “the bikers cross the sidewalks to get to their bike lanes,” or the kicker, “the bikers hit us when we try to cross their bike lanes to get to buildings.”
Just face it. It’s a no-win situation. All we can do is accept things as they are, respect one another and go on with life.
Remember, it’s the bike lane, not the pedestrian lane.
— Emily Merrick Sullivan, professional writing sophomore
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mouse 1 year, 1 month ago
The sidewalk was around long before the bike lane, as in years to decades. It's hard to cross the bike lane during the busy hours of the day (like when classes let out). There are so many students walking on the sidewalk that it's like having to pull out halfway into the intersection while in your car just so you can see around those trees that are blocking your view; this time it's the students blocking your view. While trying to look both ways you might get bumped into the bike lane by other students trying to walk on the sidewalk and get hit by a biker who is annoyed because s/he thinks you didn't look before crossing. Why can't you just walk like everyone else? We all have classes to get to and sometimes only ten minutes to go from the south end of the south oval to a class that may be in Catlett, as I have had before. I say no biking on sidewalks where there are no streets right next to them for the bikers to ride on. They're side"walks" and they were made for walking, not biking.
Pinchfist 1 year, 1 month ago
"A regular student walking on the sidewalk is much smaller in size than a bicycle. They don’t take up as much space and they have more maneuverability. A pedestrian is capable of moving from side to side just as easily as they are of moving forward and backward. A bicycle is rather long with handlebars that stick out and can only move forward and glide from side to side while moving forward."
While the dimensions of a bicycle and a pedestrian are different, they don't prove your point at all. A car is also unable to move in a lateral motion. Should they then not yield to pedestrians?
"A biker can stop like a pedestrian would, but why would we? It’s our lane, after all."
"Your" bike lane is a part of the greater pedestrian thoroughfare. If you want to be taken seriously as a biker you should yield to pedestrians. You can yell at them for being in your lane, but at the end of the day you're essentially the exact same classification of motorist. You're both pedestrians on that thoroughfare.
If you're so stubborn that you would rather hit another pedestrian for the terrible crime of on walking into your precious bike lane, then you're a dangerous and reckless cyclist - end of story.
No one is arguing that there are lots of stupid and unaware pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers in or around OU's campus. The problem occurs when either one of those people thinks it's OK to ignore or otherwise assault another because "it's [their] lane after all." If you can't have the decency and/or common sense to not run into another person then, regardless of whatever Op/Ed babble you want to proffer, you're in the wrong. Every time. Chew on that.