Hillsdale College does not have traffic signals between Central Hall and Lane Hall or between the library and the student union, but pedestrians might request them if electric scooters continue to cause chaos around campus.

Students are in daily danger of scooter-induced catastrophes. As the number of electric scooters on campus has increased and the number of construction-free walkways have decreased, scooter jockeys have thrown sidewalk etiquette by the wayside. They need to start yielding to pedestrians.

Sidewalks have room for two people to walk side by side, maybe even three for the overly eager. Introducing a scooter into the mix brings that number to zero. Pedestrians are forced to step off of the sidewalk and into who-knows-what to make room for the scooters — and if for any reason either jockey or walker fail to pay attention, the consequence is a truly ugly spectacle. This is an injustice.

Scooters make short walks to class even shorter, preserving the jockey’s energy for all of the enervating tasks they have to do in a day. With all the time and energy they are saving, jockeys should be more than willing to stop, put their foot on the ground, and wait for walkers to pass.

Scooter jockeys, you should also consider optics. Your persona is on the line every time you clutch the throttle. Do you think you look tough zipping along a sidewalk at 15 mph listening to your pregame playlist? What would really be tough is if you took your scooter off-roading, like a mountain biker. It would provide some free entertainment for onlookers to watch amateur riders take on the rocks, mud, and slippery leaves around the library. It would also drastically reduce the chances you flatten an unsuspecting pedestrian.

And if you don’t want to be tough, at least be chivalrous. Some say chivalry is dead, but it doesn’t have to be. Its return can start with you deferring to pedestrians.

Robert Matteson is a sophomore studying the liberal arts.