Pedestrians, cyclists should learn to coexist

Lately, I have been keeping up on the battle of biker vs. pedestrian, and I haven't noticed much agreement. I find this sad. Surely we can coexist without any problem.

There are some truths to both sides of the issue. Maybe we can see this all objectively. I hope that the following suggestions will help us both get along well, while making our commute safe.

To the pedestrians:

Just as we would toward cars, we must be alert of danger, no matter the source. We need to keep our heads up and make sure that we can move if a biker does not see us. "Bike lanes" simply mean a high concentration of bicyclists, thus we should all use common sense when entering these areas.

To the bikers:

While the entire reason for using a bike is to reduce travel time, we need to remember that this is a pedestrian campus. As such, we should neither travel so fast that we cannot stop quick enough to avoid sudden collision, nor should we use the sidewalks when a safer route, with less pedestrians, is available.

Technically, bikers are under the same traffic rules that pertain to cars on the roads. Thus, we must always yield to pedestrians, or the accident is our fault. Finally, we need to remember that pedestrians do not hear us as we approach many times, so do not expect them to move or notice you first, we need to take the initiative to avoid collision. Remember, we are the ones with the speed and maneuverability.

Being both a biker and pedestrian, I hope that these suggestions will allow us all to avoid collision and protect our mutual safety.

Mike Martin

Freshman, Schools of Engineering

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