Wednesday’s staff commentary about the “danger” of walking around campus due to bikes is bogus.
First of all, the primary bike-riding contingent on campus are well-experienced mountain and road bikers, the wheelmen and triathletes (and those of us who ride for fun) typically have years of experience riding. Your self-admitted paranoia is an insult to our skill as riders.
Next, I do not appreciate the comment that “all you bikers … are unaware…or ignoring (the rules)” as if we were criminals. The “walk zones” are truly criminal. Inner Perimeter Road is a regulatio- size street, and if you can’t leave one little space open for bikers, then you are worse at walking than we are at riding. Oh, and as for “walk zones are for walking,” that’s right they f–ing are! If you spent more time looking at yourselves (“all you pedestrians out there”) you’d realise that Via Carta has bike lanes and walking lanes and I see a million more clueless pedestrians walking there than riders on Inner Perimeter. I am always amused at the grimaces I get from police officers who warn me about fines for riding in the walk zone, when I ask them if there’s a fine for walkers reciprocating.
And here’s the best part: did you even take time to read the responses in your own paper about “do you think bicyclists are courteous to pedestrians?” I find it interesting that just one of the (admittedly small-sized) sample claimed any grievance against bikes. You seem to be alone in your terror.
As for my bicycling sister who almost made you “a new design on the pavement,” I apologize. Most riders are supremely aware of their surroundings, as they may ride between trees and rocks, or long distances on U.S. Highway 1, and tend to know how to avoid accidents there. We know what we’re doing, so please, keep the paranoia and hypocrisy inside from now on.
Jake Hare
Biological sciences junior