It is hard to fathom what it is like to almost be ran over by a bicyclist without first-hand experience, but surely you or someone you know, whether a friend or a mere acquaintance, has had a close encounter with a bicyclist at OU. It is a traumatizing experience to say the least.
Any OU student or faculty member knows about the bicycle lane on the South Oval. It is a luxury to the bikers, who are trying to get to class without hitting the other scurrying students in the process, but this lane comes at a cost to the pedestrians trying to cross from one side of the South Oval to the other, as one has to literally look both ways before crossing the bicycle lane. Still, it is like the bicyclists seem to come out of nowhere. This lane is part of the issue.
When I first toured OU, my guide warned us to not walk unnecessarily in the bicycle lane, as the bikers would hit anyone in their way — and she was not kidding. However, bikers should extend some leeway for those individuals who are merely attempting to cross the lane, without injury. After all, bicycles are considered a vehicle, so they should have to yield to any pedestrian trying to safely cross their path.
As a driver, I am required to yield to pedestrians, as well as share the road with bicyclists. However, I have almost hit more cyclists at OU in almost two years than I have anywhere else. It could be due to the increased number of people who ride a bike, but I believe it mostly comes from the fact that cyclists do not know the proper roadway safety precautions they have to take to be able to ride a bike without harm to themselves or anyone else around them.
As I have already stated, bicycles are the equivalent of a motorized vehicle, so it is required they yield to pedestrians. Also, when crossing a crosswalk, cyclists are required to walk their bike across the walk, not ride.
Stop signs and stoplights do not lose all meaning for a bicyclist. Yes, they too have to stop at them. Finally, it would be very helpful if they learned how to signal when they are turning.
For those who wish to ride a bike around campus, a class should be required to inform the participants of the rules and regulations they have to conform to. After the class ends, they will be required to register their bike with university police. Lastly, they will be issued a certificate, much like a driver’s license, indicating that you did participate in the class. This will be good for the duration of your stay at OU.
Furthermore, university police should more actively patrol the bikers on the South Oval, handing out fines for dangerous behavior — as they would for any motorist. The amount will vary depending on the severity of the infraction. After so many infractions, the certificate will be suspended until the class is retaken.
Encouraging students to ride safely will not only prevent injury to the biker but pedestrians and drivers as well.
— Kyle Margerum, professional writing sophomore
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gidd8708 1 year, 2 months ago
I second James Snodgrass' opinions. Very well said!
saxman 1 year, 2 months ago
Good and bad points. Given the time, I'll just give my main issue.
As a biker who is in love with the bike lane, the lane itself is like two feet wide. If you can't look both ways before crossing, you have a problem...and by doing so you're exerting WAYYYY less energy than we would if we were to completely stop for you. Also think about how that would work if we were to yield to pedestrians. There's a million people on the south oval at times...all hovering right next to the bike lane. If pedestrians were to have the mindset of "oh I'll just walk out in the lane and hope the nearest biker will stop for me" then there will be thousands of accidents. The only thing that MIGHT work is a crosswalk across the bike lane at parts where there's an intersecting sidewalk...and maybe a circle where people stand if they want to cross so bikers know when to stop for them.
gidd8708 1 year, 2 months ago
If you think that trying to cross the cycling lane is bad, you should have been here before that was put in to place. That's right, when I started here there was absolutely no method to the madness. Cyclists had to ride wherever they could find a gap, leading to many more accidents than occur today. I feel like you should quit whining and be glad that the people on the bikes ride in their lane. I suggest that you continue to look both ways when crossing the bike lane, just as you would have to do when crossing any other vehicle lane.
jsnodg 1 year, 2 months ago
Kyle Margerum.
Hello Kyle. My name is James Snodgrass and I am the President of the University of Oklahoma Cycling team, I read your article this morning and thought you and I could have some dialog.
As a cyclist and member of the shoe lace express, I can understand the frustration that some people have when walking on the south oval and have to contend with cyclists to cross over. I wanted to comment that the bike lane is not a luxury for cyclists, it is a courtesy for pedestrians, not too long ago I remember and OU where cyclists and pedestrians had to compete all over the sidewalk not just the narrow constraints of the bike lane, one sixth the width of the rest of the sidewalk. I remember the number of accidents and wrecks during that period was much higher, and the risk of injury was greater as well.
I can agree mildly when you ask cyclists for a "little leeway" for crossing pedestrians, but I think you may have over extended in saying that Bicycles are vehicles, and as such should have to yield to pedetrians. This is far to vague to projest any useful information, so please allow me to help you find the path, so to speak. On the roads, streets, and highways Bicycles have the same rights ass a vehicle on the road, by that I mean that we have certain standards and in turn we receive the full protection of the law while riding on the street. This is an essential component of both OU and Norman's efforts to create a more bike friedly environment and city. Besides, if you mother didn't teach you to check for traffic before crossing a pathway for vehicles and you still made iot to college, I am impressed. A great deal of on-campus travelling requires the attention of the participant, be they cyclist or beat walker.
The OU Cycling Team takes great effort to inform our racers and our casual riders of all the local and university policies and laws regarding bicycling, so I doubt that any of our members are the cyclists you speak, and perhaps newer cyclists should have access to bike safety classes. Oh wait, they do. OUPD holds a bike safety class each year and make the cycling laws of Norman available at every major student event like Camp Crimson and all of Howwdy week. I think your suggestion falls short of logical when you stated that you almost hit cyclists with a car because the cyclists are incompetent of proper roadway safety.
jsnodg 1 year, 2 months ago
(Cont'd) When you suggest in your article a ridiculous process that the University should implement that includes a REQUIRED class, forced bike registration, and a system of "bike licenses that work like DL licenses" I know you have driven your SUV right off the logic cliff. In Oklahoma, people do not have to show ID purchase firearms at gunshows, and you think a major safety concern is cyclists? You go even further and suggest that valuable Police resources should be squandered on patrolling the S Oval for "dangerous behavior", and I hope that you and you alone are prepared to foot the bill on your next tuition payment to implement something so wasteful and stupid. In Oklahoma, people are not required to have a License to ride their bicycles as transportation and this should not change here at OU or anywhere else because you can' look up while messing with your iPhone. I think you should trade in your planet destroying car and upgrade to a bicycle for a week or two, I mean for every trip you take, and see the stupidity of the drivers in regards to cyclists, and pedestrians' stupidity when it comes to walking. Cyclists are typically good about following the rules which is not something we can say about drivers or pedestrians. Just look both ways like your Momma taught you and you may survive to Junior year.
jsnodg 1 year, 2 months ago
(Cont'd 2) Lastly, I just want to point out an inherent misunderstanding you project in your article about the idea that "bicycles are the equivalent of a motorized vehicle". You are correct that Stop signs and stop lights do not lose ALL meaning for cyclists, however there was legislation past last year by Gov. Brad Henry that stipulates that cyclists are free to run stop signs and stop lights in the absense of traffic and light recognition. Meaning that if there is no one in the intersection, or the cyclists can safely cross, they are free to continue without stopping to wait for the light. Bike are not respected by cars on the road, and the sad trickle down is that pedestrians are often not appreciated on the sidewalks surrounding bike paths on campus. This does not suggest the ignorance of cyclists, but rather an ignorance of drivers who walk. Bike are vehicles on the road because if we weren't then we would die all the time as a joke to passing shmucks in oversized trucks. Just what kind of car do you drive again? I want to know since you admittedly nearly hit cyclists regularly around campus, and I wouldn't want to cross your path. Bikes are also recognized as a pedestrian vehicle, and as such are free to travel amongst other pedestrians, especially in marked bike lanes on a college campus. My vote goes to pedestrians paying attention, because I will mess with any of them who walk in the bike lanes, step out into moving traffic, drift while playing with their phones/mp3 devices into my path, and oh so many more people just not paying attention to the world around you. Cyclists will fight back against a policy implementation like this one, oppositely OU Cycling would happily implement safety and maintenance workshops on campus. I will do my part to increase awareness and safety of cyclists on campus and you do your part and pay attention while you walk and stop with your ridiculous and unreasonable standards for cyclists. Bikes are good, Kill your car, save the planet. Boomer Sooner Kyle. Good Luck
braceyourself 1 year, 2 months ago
"My vote goes to pedestrians paying attention, because I will mess with any of them who walk in the bike lanes, step out into moving traffic, drift while playing with their phones/mp3 devices into my path, and oh so many more people just not paying attention to the world around you."
And you just lost ALL credibility, James. Would it be alright if someone shoved a stick in your spoke to "mess with you" when you got in their way? This is exactly the type of attitude that bikers at OU seem to have sometimes.
"Protect me from those terrible cars. I might get hit!"
"What? Pedestrians want to be protected from us and not get hit? Well that's crazy talk!"
tvistragic 1 year, 2 months ago
I agree with the commenter above. Try riding a bike before you suggest we're engaging in dangerous behavior. You would probably find that the pedestrians you of which you are so enamored present the danger to cyclists, not the other way around.
Tank 1 year, 2 months ago
Do you cross the street without looking first? Why then would you cross a bike path full of "motorized vehicles" without looking? Pedestrians should be given the right of way, but they should be required to pay attention to their surroundings while walking to class. I often have other students walk into me while I'm walking to class because they are looking at the ground, or chatting with their friends (in person or on the phone), etc.
And don't even get me started on the idiots I encounter while riding my bike.
sandra 1 year, 2 months ago
Uh... just look both ways, dude.
Aestas 1 year, 2 months ago
After reading your article, I have to point out that drivers almost never yield to pedestrians or bikers at any point in the city of Norman. I normally ride my bike to OU and as such, use the bike lane all the time and observe what happens. Many pedestrians feel it is ok to walk in the bike lane and slow down bikers, or the bikers have to go on the grass to avoid hitting them when the pedestrians should be noticeable of their surroundings and get out of the way. Also, crossing the bike lane should not be that big of a deal. The bike lane does not extend the entire distance, and since it is only about 2 feet anyway, that isn't all that hard to look and quickly get across the lane. It takes much more effort for a biker to slow down, or start and then start back up again, especially if it is windy outside. Then it takes even more effort for the biker than it would for the pedestrian.
The idea for a class for bicyclists on campus seems like a waste of time, energy and money. For this to even happen, would the entire student body want to up their fees and tuition even more for this? I certainly don't.
The equivalent of your class would be for pedestrians to attend as well, as anybody can ride their bike on campus, so no enforcement would had. Pedestrians cross in front of people, bikers, cars all the time and they're talking on their phones, listening to iPods, texting and clearly not aware of their surroundings.
patch 1 year, 2 months ago
"[T]his lane comes at a cost to the pedestrians trying to cross from one side of the South Oval to the other, as one has to literally look both ways before crossing the bicycle lane."
Is this a joke? I have to assume it is.
Pinchfist 1 year, 2 months ago
'...I will mess with any of them who walk in the bike lanes, step out into moving traffic, drift while playing with their phones/mp3 devices into my path, and oh so many more people just not paying attention to the world around you.'
You're an idiot. There are terrible cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. Now, we have the added knowledge that the president of some such or other university club is also a terrible, potentially harmful, cyclist. Fantastic.
Just yesterday, a girl nearly walked into the side of a delivery truck that was driving in front of me. She just waltzed off the side of the road WHILE THE CAR WAS ALREADY IN FRONT OF HER, nearly hitting it or getting her foot run over by the rear tires. There are idiots everywhere, your cyclists' excrement doesn't smell any better than anyone else's (although, YOU see particularly belligerent toward the most minor infraction of meandering innocently into particular section of the thoroughfare).
I've been nearly run over so many times by cyclists that I've lost count. I can remember exactly two times when a cyclist rushing past me on the sidewalk had the courtesy to let me know which side he was passing me on. When I ride my bike, I go boy scout and use hand signals, follow street signs, and generally don't go out of my way to cause harm (physically or emotionally) to those that I share the road with. I can count on one hand the number of times another cyclist at OU has shown the same level of consideration for everyone else in the world in my presence.
So, here we have it. Lots of dumb people at OU (I think we probably had a grasp of that novel idea). Someone trying offer a healthy and functional response (albeit banal) while Cap'n Angryonabike spews some fecal matter out of his mouth (fingers?) and considers it a reasoned response.
Lose/lose I guess. My suggestion: Get off your high horse, oh cyclist god. The suggestions in the article for policy change may have been off but the spirit was not.
Not even the slightest.
SoonerNation 1 year, 2 months ago
"Furthermore, university police should more actively patrol the bikers on the South Oval, handing out fines for dangerous behavior — as they would for any motorist."
Are you insane? You are WAY exaggerating this issue and I hope this article is a joke.
ilovemybike 1 year, 2 months ago
I feel that your article could have used a bit more research before publishing. I wonder if you checked out the City of Norman's Bicycle rules before beginning on this piece. I think you have points, for sure. But if what you want is to encourage education on the rules of cycling, you could have provided links to information on this.
http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/content/bike-pamphlet
By the way...according to the law..."A person riding a bicycle across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk shall have all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances."
Good luck with your journalism career...