Most students who bicycle to class here in the city of Madison have a horror story to tell about some sort of near-death experience that they have had. Standard rants on the hazards of bicycling frequently target the pedestrians crowded around crosswalks, cars cutting bicyclists off, or "that idiot who didn't look both ways before stepping out into the street." Today though, I'm going to complain about fellow bicyclists. In particular, I'm talking about the peculiarly idiotic group of bicyclists who insist on traveling west on University Avenue's eastbound bicycle lane.

To make myself clear for those who are unfamiliar with directions around Madison, the eastbound bicycle lane on University Avenue has a raised cement median between the cars and the bicycle lane. Now, there may be a couple explanations for why someone might choose the wrong lane. I'll allow the possibility that these wrong-way bicyclists may not realize the existence of the westbound bicycle lane on University, despite hundreds of bicyclists using it everyday. Perhaps they also never bothered to look down and see the arrows on the eastbound lane that point in the opposite direction they're traveling.

However, the one thing that these bicyclists can't possibly miss is the horde of onrushing bicycles going in the proper direction! It boggles the mind that given all these "hints," people still choose to travel the wrong direction on this lane. Honestly, what the hell are these people thinking?

Now I'm not the biggest stickler for traffic rules, particularly on a bicycle. If a bicyclist rolls through a stop sign or doesn't signal a turn, I don't mind much. I feel the same way about speed limits and yellow lights for a car. Now some people might be thinking "Well if I disregard the other traffic rules, I may as well skip this one as well!" However, just like driving a car the wrong direction down a one-way street is a terrible idea, the same applies to riding a bicycle down a bicycle lane.

First, riding the wrong direction on the bicycle lane is quite possibly one of the worst bicycle safety hazards I can conjure. While everyone can see and avoid bicycles in the westbound bicycle lane on the other side of the road, it can be pretty difficult for other bicyclists to notice someone going in the wrong direction on the eastbound bicycle lane. Other bicyclists or pedestrians around the crosswalks typically obscure the view. By the time an oncoming bicyclist sees someone going the wrong direction, it may be too late to avoid him.

The favored tactic of looping wide around the crosswalks and trying to enter the bicycle lane from the side doesn't make the situation any clearer. Further, because most people using the bicycle lane don't bother to wear helmets, any collision that occurs is that much more dangerous.

Beyond the obvious safety hazards of a head-on collision, riding the wrong direction down the bicycle lane causes an undue amount of congestion. The lane has just enough room to ride two bicycles side by side — and that's assuming one person doesn't randomly veer to one side of the lane as some people often do. The left side of the bicycle lane should be for passing slower bicyclists or diverting people who stop to leave the bicycle lane.

Given the amount of traffic in the lane, it doesn't take too much to gum up the whole works. For instance, if a large group is traveling the correct way down the lane, most people are probably boxed in and unable to move quickly to a different spot in the lane. Trying to accommodate a single idiot bicycling the wrong way can stop traffic on the entire lane.

One solution may be to divert the bicycle police officers who stake out intersections around Memorial Union to the eastbound University Avenue bicycle lane. Currently, bicyclists are often cited for rolling through the stop sign in front of Science Hall or riding their bicycles on the pedestrian mall. In my opinion, the wrong-way travel on the bicycle lane seems far more dangerous than either of those other offenses. However, the best solution is also the easiest and least expensive. Use the westbound bicycle lane that is provided, and don't endanger yourself or your fellow students.

Andrew Wagner ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in history and political science.