As a victim of a bicycle collision last week, I am completely appalled that USC earned a bike-friendly distinction from the League of American Bicyclists. I am an advocate of promoting cycling to and from campus, especially considering the university’s lack of parking spots. However, I have heard of plans to increase bike lanes for four years now and have not seen any improvement.
Current South Carolina bicycle laws prohibit bicyclists from riding on the sidewalk ; however, if there are no laws abiding bicycle lanes on our roadways, what do they expect fellow bicyclists to do? I do not blame motorists or cyclists; I blame the state, and more directly, the university. The university provides no alternative signs or other visual indicators exclusively for the use of bicyclists.
There are approximately 30,000 students here at the Columbia campus, and more importantly, 1,604 full-time faculty. The number of students enrolling each fall semester is rising. Although a majority of students and faculty drive to campus, only a fraction of these numbers commute to campus via bicycle. There is minimal enforcement of bike laws, despite the fact that law enforcement is aware of the dangers of riding bicycles in heavy traffic where there are no designated bike lanes.
With the addition of these lanes, bicyclists on Columbia’s streets would have the same rights and duties as motor vehicles and would be required to ride in designated bike lanes instead of resorting to the sidewalk. The one bicycle lane on Wheat Street does not compensate for the other number of streets that intersect with USC’s campus. The lack of planning and engineering should be reviewed and amended to promote safety for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
— Alana Harris, fourth-year psychology