Chancellor Michael Martin would like to see the University’s enrollment near 32,000. Incoming freshman enrollment is about 5,000 this semester, compared to 4,779 last year.  
What does this mean?  
Campus is getting tight. There are more parking permits being sold, which equals a harder time finding a parking spot.  
The new Tiger Trails bus system still sucks. The wait time for a Tigerland bus can be 30-45 minutes. Every bus stop on the route gets packed so when the bus finally shows up, it’s already filled to capacity.
How are students getting to school and around campus?
They are riding bikes. According to the a survey by the League of American Bicyclists, from 2000 to 2008 American bike commuters increased by 43 percent.  The University picked up on the increasing number of bike commuters and added 700 new available spots for bikes around the busy areas of campus.  
More biking on campus seems like a good solution for all. There is ess pollution, less vehicle traffic and more students exercise.
But this has created a huge problem — we now have an absurd amount of idiot bicyclists wheeling around campus.
Do the words NEXT, Mongoose, Diamondback, Trek or Pacific sound familiar? These are some of the common brands that you might see on bikes grazing two inches from you as you walk on the sidewalks to class.
Not only are these morons riding on the sidewalk, they are doing it in between classes, aka the busiest time on campus. Why the hell
would you think it’s OK to ride through the middle of the quad on a huge, oversized beach cruiser complete with a large basket on the front at the busiest time of the day?
Does weaving between crowds of people walking on the sidewalks near Howe-Russell and the Art and Design building honestly sound like a safe way to get to your next class? Do you really think you should ride one foot behind someone who’s walking, on your rusted-out bike with screeching, barely functional brakes?
The University Environmental Conservation Organization and Student Government has made campus even more unsafe by selling abandoned bikes at cheap prices to students at the University’s annual bike auction. This just increases the number of people who have no idea how to ride a bike, causing more traffic problems.  
Hint: You can spot these people by their ridiculous cards still clipped to the handlebars from when the Office of Parking initially marked their abandoned piece of junk.
Need more proof of new, irresponsible bike riders?
Sit on the corner of Tower and Stadium drives near Tureaud Hall and watch the madness. You will see riders of all shapes and sizes: the skater kid wearing a backwards cap on the freestyle bike with huge pegs on both wheels, the hippie on a rusty cruiser with barely inflated tires, the exercise enthusiast, sporting an oversized T-shirt and Nike track shorts on her first Schwinn and the hipster, who thinks bright colored, vintage road bikes make him an OG.  
You will observe all these morons riding on sidewalks, not stopping at intersections, cutting in front of cars and nearly hitting crowds of students using the crosswalks.
The craziest thing is that most of these people are riding wearing headphones blaring their tunes.
Perhaps Lance Armstrong’s comeback inspired you to try cycling. But before trying to be like him, check Baton Rouge’s laws and the University’s regulations for bicycles.
Here’s a quick rundown:
Sidewalks and crosswalks are for pedestrians, not bikes.   
Bike on the right side of the road, not on an adjacent sidewalk, on a lawn, or through the Quad.  
Use hand signals for turning and stopping.
Obey all traffic signals. You have the same responsibilities as automobiles.
If riding at night, put a light on the front and rear.
And always remember to lock your bike properly.
Nevermind, bike theft isn’t always a bad thing.
Michael Sandoz is 27-year-old nutritional sciences junior from Mandeville. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_MSandoz.
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Contact Michael Sandoz at [email protected]