Real Life Frogger
Nicholas Warren
Undergraduate/Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
As you are reading this article, you are probably walking on the sidewalk to your next class. Please do us all a huge favor and LOOK WHERE YOU ARE GOING; read this fine article after you have arrived at your destination.
If you have not yet guessed as to the point of this article, the sidewalks on campus are pretty dangerous, in part due to inattentive pedestrians. Other causes include reckless bikers, large groups taking up the sidewalks and busy sidewalk intersections on the mall. I admit that I have, at times, contributed to the danger level on campus, but that does not mean that we can’t improve ourselves. We don’t have to play Real Life Frogger everyday.
As both a pedestrian and biker on campus, I have been frustrated with the level of attention people pay to where they are going and the things around them. It is very annoying to walk behind a large group of people moving slower than molasses when I am late for class. Also, it is difficult to smoothly navigate the sidewalks while on a bike at anytime. Personally, I have made contact with pedestrians twice while biking (as in I slammed the brakes and ended up giving them a light bump that didn’t make them lose balance). The first one was because an oncoming biker cut me off as I was attempting to get off the street and on to the side walk, in front of the bridge. I would rather hit a pedestrian than a biker. The second one was partly due to people not walking on the right side of the side walk and not paying attention to me shouting “ON YOUR LEFT.” Yes, I know I was, in part, at fault for both collisions and I have made some changes to my habits to avoid those situations in the future. However, I still see the same contributing factors everyday from both bikers and pedestrians.
Last fall there was an article in The Spectator about general, common-sense rules people should follow on campus. Sadly, that article was nowhere near the front page and was probably missed by most people who even pick up our University’s newspaper. So I feel that it would be a good idea to give a larger audience some common sense rules on how to go about their business safely.
1. Walk on the Right Side of the Sidewalk.
This is America; we do things on the right side of the road/sidewalk. Please study abroad in England if you want to do it the other way. If everybody adheres to this rule, then there won’t be any confusion as to which direction two oncoming people should go. Also, it means that there should be space for a biker to squeeze by you without any extra effort from either party. It also allows space for faster walking pedestrians to pass the slower traffic. Just as the highway signs say: “Slower Traffic Keep Right.”
2. Only Walk Two Abreast.
The only way you can walk on the right is to distinguish a difference between the right and left. If you walk more than two people abreast, you are taking up almost the entire sidewalk. There is no longer any room for people to get by. I see this problem every morning when I walk down the hill. Larger groups of people are walking incredibly slow and taking up the entire sidewalk. Also, if you are in that situation you are probably talking and thus walking slower. This is probably the best way to create a traffic jam and make people late for class. If you wish to socialize with people, go somewhere that is better suited for that purpose.
3. On Your Left.
All bikers should strive to pass people on their left. If the pedestrians need to move out of your way in order to do that, use the magic words “On Your Left.” Conversely, if you are a pedestrian, please do move when you hear those words.
4. Stay Out of the Bike Lane.
The bridge has the only bike lane on campus, so it should be pretty easy to remember. Pedestrians should NEVER go into the bike lane. It is only for cushmans, bikes, skateboarders, etc. It would be the same thing as if a biker went into the pedestrian lane; problems would ensue. In all other cases, pedestrians should have the right of way, but they do not belong in the bike lane.
5. PAY ATTENTION!
It is not the responsibility of everybody around you to make sure you are safe. It is YOUR responsibility. I always see people texting, reading, or otherwise out of their mind while walking around on campus. If you absolutely cannot wait to send a text, stop walking and finish the text before you get moving again. Almost every problem on the sidewalks involves inattentive people in some way. It is usually fine if you are just walking a straight path with no intersections, but once you get to an intersection and you are not paying attention, you are most likely going to cut someone off or be cut off your self. I think this is the main reason why crossing the road to get on/off the bridge is so dangerous. Bikers are trying to find a break in the mess to squeeze through and they tend not to wait too long.
So please, just use common sense while walking around on campus. Just because the weather is getting nice and the sidewalk is not covered in ice, doesn’t mean everything is completely safe and you don’t have to pay attention. We can make our campus commuting much quicker, safer and bike friendly, but only if we all work together.