Robyn Hines is a proud pedestrian, but it’s not because she loves to walk – she hates people on bicycles.
Hines, an undecided sophomore, thinks campus bike riders are obnoxious.
“I hate people who ride bikes on campus because they’re angry,” she said Monday as she watched a student ride a bike through the Quad.
Hines said campus bike riders are in such a hurry they are willing to cause discomfort for campus pedestrians.
“I’ve been jingled at,” Hines said, referring to a bicyclist ringing the bell on his handlebar to let her know he was behind her.
Hines said the bell makes a “wind-up” sound – a sort of mechanical buzz.
Many bike riders use their bells the same way drivers use horns – to tell pedestrians to hurry up and get out of the way, Hines said.
“I don’t walk around telling people to get out of my way,” Hines said. “They’re just rude.”
Jessee Fleenor, an undecided freshman, said he owns a bike but did not bring it to campus. He said he’d rather walk.
“The campus isn’t big enough for a bike,” Fleenor said.
To keep bike riders from inconveniencing pedestrians, Fleenor suggested building paths specifically for bikes.
“Every time I see people with bikes they’re walking beside them anyway because there are too many people,” he said. “They can’t ride on the road because of cars.”
Regulations from the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation state bicycles must be operated on roads, just like motor vehicles.
Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said many students who ride their bikes on sidewalks probably do not realize they are breaking rules.
“Most students are doing what they see,” Graham said.
Graham said his office could do something to reduce the number of bike riders on sidewalks.
“The only thing that worked in the past is getting a police bike patrol,” he said.
The bike patrol would hand out more tickets to people illegally operating their bicycles. Bicycle violation tickets range from $7 to $12 and could result in bikes getting impounded.
Graham suggested concerned students should talk to their Student Government representatives.
Adam Stephenson, an English sophomore, said he rides his bike to campus and parks it. He said he does not try to inconvenience pedestrians.
“I just weave around them,” he said.