This past week, I sat outside at a bicycle education booth and was thrilled to see so many students riding their bikes.

Biking is a wonderful means of transportation – it’s fast, easy, emits no pollution and is great for your health. 

Common sense must play a role when riding bicycles, especially on a college campus where there’s plenty of foot and car traffic. 

The biggest action cyclists can take to ensure safety is to avoid swerving in and out of pedestrians, other cyclists, skateboarders and scooters. 

If the sidewalks are crowded, cyclists should slow down and announce when they are passing others. Pedestrians can help with this, too, by staying to the right side of the sidewalk.

It’s equally important to always be alert and aware of your surroundings when riding a bike. Pay attention to other cyclists or pedestrians in the area or if there is a hazard ahead. 

When crossing intersections, it’s life-saving to stop and look both ways before crossing the street. 

The future looks bright at SDSU with well over 800 cycles. As the chair of the SDSU Bicycle Committee, I look forward to working with campus on creating a safe and enjoyable bicycle-friendly university. 

For a full brochure on bicycle safety tips, stop by Information Exchange in The Union.

 

Jennifer McLaughlin is the sustainability specialist and can be reached at [email protected].