Picture this: you are on your way to class, standing at the corner of Johnson and Park, patiently waiting for the walk signal to create a clear and safe path across the street for you and your fellow pedestrians. Finally, cross-traffic is forced to halt and you confidently step into the walkway, only to be almost taken out by a dude on a bicycle coming down the street. Unfortunately, it is far from difficult for many of us to picture this scenario. As a freshman that just moved in two weeks ago, this very situation has happened (or almost happened) to me a countless number of times already!
Too many writers focus on the problems bikers face rather than the harsh reality the bipeds, like myself and a great deal of my classmates, have to deal with daily. For example, just the other day as I was walking down West Dayton Street, I saw a young lady crossing toward Ogg Hall from East Campus Mall. Although all the motor vehicles had yielded their right-of-way to her, two cyclists insisted on barreling down the street and cutting in front of her. Luckily, she didn’t get hit, but it was a very close call.
I will take this opportunity to offer a kind reminder to all those fond of biking around campus: According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, bikers have a great deal of road-sharing responsibilities that are often neglected. Simply put, when bikers are on the road they are treated as vehicles, thereby meaning that they “must obey all traffic laws” (a point which is stated verbatim on the DOT “Rules for Riding” website). In this case, the two cyclists had forgotten that at uncontrolled intersections or walkways, those in the crosswalk have the right to safely and dauntlessly get to the other side of the street — without the concern that a biker will collide with them and take out their knees.
Of course, I don’t want to give off the impression that I am completely unsympathetic toward the plights of University of Wisconsin’s students on wheels. It must be hard biking around Madison safely, especially when many of these cyclists refuse to wear the most basic form of safety equipment: helmets. But in all seriousness, I do feel a certain admiration for our bikers. I definitely do not have the guts to travel alongside the huge number of motor vehicles that clog up the campus roads, and I understand that bikers are oftentimes exposed to danger just by splitting the road with cars, trucks and buses. For instance, according to the City of Madison’s 2011 crash report, there were 139 crashes reported during that year. However, bikers should still work to better comply with the rules of the road because their track record, from what I have observed after a mere 14 days, isn’t so stellar.
Although it seems that many riders live and travel under the assumption that they are far above the laws that govern motor vehicles, they should definitely try to keep this general rule in mind: any wheeled vehicle on the road that is capable of running down and injuring a pedestrian should be adhering to the basic mandates of traffic (just a little something I came up with). Cyclists should understand that crossing a street should not be a life-threatening task for pedestrians. Ideally, it would be best for every individual that shares road privileges to work together and keep everyone (all pedestrians, bikers and drivers) completely safe.
Briana Reilly ([email protected]) is a freshman with an undeclared major.
