On a beautiful day here on campus, what is a lovely way to get to class, as well as sneak in some exercise at the same time? The obvious answer to some would be riding a bike! However, in my time so far at USC, I have not seen a single smiling face upon those banana seats.
Bikes are an amazing way to get to campus if you are an off campus dweller; bikes are not an amazing way to travel while on campus, particularly during the school week. During the changing of classes, there is barely room to walk, and definitely no room for a bike.
More often than not, bikers are moving slower than pedestrians are simply because they have no room to move! Bikers are spotted walking next to their bikes because there is no room for them to maneuver. This is the result of a large student body, as well as sidewalks that may not be wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and bikers at the same time.
Just last week, I witnessed a biker run straight into a young woman who was walking. Both students involved came away from the accident seemingly unscathed; however, it could have been prevented.
This morning, while walking back from class, I was on Greene Street passing Russell House when, all of a sudden, I was face-to-face with the front tire of a bike; yes, a scream escaped. As a friend pulled me away, I realized how ruthless the rider was—he had no intention of stopping, I could see it in his eyes. This frenzied rider had likely been stuck in traffic and took this opportunity to zoom ahead of the pack, which I don’t blame him for.
The University of South Carolina, although urban, is extremely walker-friendly. A wonderful compromise to the biking issue would be to bike to campus, picking a centrally located bike rack to lock the bike onto, and walking to classes. Then, proceeding to return to the bike to ride back home.
It is a win-win situation for all concerned. The beautiful South Carolina day is not wasted, the bike does not sit and gather dust, while simultaneously is not running over unsuspecting pedestrians, and saves everyone a little bit of stress.