I was walking from Christ Chapel toward Lane Hall when a speeding cyclist forced me to stop mid stride. No, I was not looking down at my phone. Yes, I was walking on the right side of the sidewalk.
I saw the cyclist in my vision and thought, “Where is he going?” Before I had time to answer this question, the cyclist answered it for me.
He was going to create his own path — one that was destined to cross my own. I thought about hopping out of his way, but I couldn’t get my legs to listen to my brain. The cyclists blazed by me with about six inches of clearance.
The cyclist pedaled away smiling. I did not get hit, but it felt like the cyclist was challenging himself. Did he want to see how close he could get before having to swerve away?
I don’t know.
This was the first time I’ve ever personally experienced anything like this. But it’s not the only time I’ve witnessed cyclists on the quad trying to create a sonic boom. On several occasions, I have seen cyclists zoom by students walking from building to building.
I would urge people walking on the quad to look out for these zippy cyclists. At the same time, I would ask the cyclists to pedal a little slower while riding on campus.
Swift cyclists, we are back on campus, and this is not Zoom University. Slow down.
In the near misses I’ve witnessed, the students walking were not looking down, and they seemed to be paying attention to their surroundings.
In one case, the cyclist split a group of girls like Moses parting the Red Sea. These girls were not taking up the entire sidewalk. They were walking in front of the chapel, near the fountain, and the cyclist had plenty of space to get around them on his left or right.
The girls looked at each other with puzzled faces after the cyclist sped away into the Promised Land.
I’ve always liked traveling by bike. I can’t say that I’ve ever ridden my bike on campus, but I have ridden in other public places where there are pedestrians. When I’ve been in places with lots of people, I take extra precautions and monitor my speeds to ensure the safety of others.
Many students commute to and from class on a bike, and most people are respectful of other students, professors, friends of the college, and prospective students walking on the sidewalks.
I say “most” because there’s a couple cyclists that have the need for speed.
I have no problem when cyclists want to travel at higher speeds on the road or on bike trails.
But what I can’t understand is why these particular cyclists feel the need to go so fast in the middle of campus when there are large numbers of people walking to and from different buildings.
Did they forget to print something at the library? Were they going to miss their “date” in the dining hall?
Last I checked, the most chaotic stretch of the Tour de France was the streets of Paris, not the Liberty Walk.
Julia Mullins is a senior studying politics.
