I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like.

Let's face it: bicycles are a hazard on this campus.

Student bikers simply just do not pay attention to where they are heading, how fast they are going, and are, more often than not, completely unaware of their immediate surroundings. I've seen so many bikers with headphones on or a cell phone or cigarette in their hand. All of these things are distracting to the biker, just like they are to anyone driving a motorized vehicle. Obviously though, it is much more dangerous for a car driver to be distracted from the road since it is going much faster in a much heavier object and is subjected to the laws of physics and momentum, but that doesn't mean that these concepts do not apply to a biker on the sidewalks.

This rant originated from a bike accident that I witnessed today and was ALMOST a part of. My friend and I were walking in the small area between Wells Hall and the International Center when two bikes collided head on right next to us. One of the bikers fell right onto my friend's left leg hitting her thigh, calf, and ankle. She stumbled off with some vicious bruises and a slight limp, while both of the bikers were scraped up from falling directly on the cement. ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF PEOPLE WOULD JUST PAY ATTENTION TO THE PATH THEY ARE TAKING. I mean, my friend was involved in this stupid accident, and she was just a vulnerable pedestrian!

I mean, I've been in a few accidents myself:

1. Once because a girl was walking IN THE BIKE LANE AND WALKED RIGHT INTO ME. That was not cool. She gave me the dirtiest look, like it was my fault I hit her.
2. Once because I was biking on the right side of the sidewalk when an oncoming biker PASSED A PEDESTRIAN ON THE LEFT (yeah, you're never supposed to do that, ever) and collided head on with my front bike tire. That wreck bent my brake and prevented the brakes from working for the rest of the semester. Needless to say, I was livid for having to pay for my bike to get fixed when I was the victim and the other biker walked away unscathed.
3. On the third occasion, I was crossing a two-laned, one-way street that pulls out onto Shaw Lane near Holmes when I got hit by a car. There was a car in the closest lane to my left that was allowing me to cross so I pedaled forward, but the car coming up in the second lane didn't see me so the driver continued to pull forward PAST THE CROSS WALK AND RAMMED THE BACK TIRE OF MY BIKE. I just barely was able to maintain my balance but the brakes broke and the back tire was bent from the collision, so once again, I had to go to MSU Bikes to pay to get it fixed.

Thankfully, none of these accidents caused serious injury, but I've heard more horrid stories of people getting hit on their bikes while leisurely riding around campus.

Just watch where you're going people! Nothing is more important then your safety and of those around you.