Despite increased sidewalk congestion due to construction on campus and a recent collision between a student bicyclist and a car on Sheridan Road, the University’s policy regarding bicycle safety has not changed, Dean of Students Burgwell Howard said in an email last week.
Howard attributed the six to 12 biking accidents NU experiences each year to a lack of vigilance by both bikers and pedestrians. In a separate email to students Sept. 22, the University reiterated campus and City of Evanston bike policies, which prohibit bicycle riding on city sidewalks and warn of a fine up to $100 for various violations. The policy outlined in the email sent out each fall was originally drafted several years ago with input from Howard as well as Facilities Management, University Police, Residential Life and Evanston Police, and has been a staple of the student handbook ever since.
Many students bike across campus in order to reach their classes, which are often spread far apart, in a timely manner. However, some say biking does not always help them reach their destination faster, especially when paths are full of pedestrians.
“It can be kind of a pain on campus,” said McCormick junior Paige Humecki, who rides her bike to class and work every day from her off-campus apartment. “Sometimes on your bike, at certain points of the day, you’re going as fast as you would be walking.”
This year, construction is adding to the congestion, specifically near ‘Northwestern Place,’ the former parking lot outside Garrett Theological Seminary. Plans for the area include a stoplight, which will be added in 2012, as well as turning lanes and a crosswalk to promote smoother traffic flow and safer pedestrian crossing. In the meantime, clogged paths remain a source of heightened concern.
“I haven’t really had a lot of mishaps (in the past), but this year I have,” said Lucy Pearson, a Weinberg senior. “Especially going to Annenberg, it’s rocky and it really sucks … I’ve already had two or three almost accidents, almost hurting someone, this quarter.”
Howard said the University is aware of increased stress for pedestrians and bikers during times of construction, but stated that “this is an issue we all must deal with.”
He added that he frequently travels via bike and usually goes through campus – rather than via the Sheridan Road sidewalk – during the day in order to avoid pedestrians and other potential threats. But with several interior paths torn up in conjunction with construction, students say simply taking different routes does not always solve the problem.
“There have been a couple of times where I’ve had to ride out on Sheridan at rush hour to avoid the construction,” said Chelsea Corbin, a Medill sophomore. “It’s dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists alike.”
One of the only major changes to the biking infrastructure on campus in the past few years has been the addition of 250 new bike racks across campus, a change noted in the bike policy email. Howard said that decisions on where to add bike racks “comes anecdotally” from students and faculty. The racks outside Kresge were added after students voiced concern, and a need has been expressed for more racks near Technological Institute.
Students, however, say that the added racks have done little to reduce the number of bikers obstructing campus paths. The sidewalk along Sheridan Road is of particular concern for some, who say the University could work with Evanston to alleviate the problem.
“A bike lane on Sheridan would be nice,” said Kate Shepherd, a Weinberg senior. “It’s kind of scary to dodge the people as I’m going down Sheridan (on her bike).”
Howard places the responsibilities of safe biking on students, who should comply with helmet and reflector rules regardless of where they ride, he said. He reiterated the policy email, reminding students that biking is illegal on city sidewalks because it poses a hazard to pedestrians. Evanston Police issue up to 100 citations a year to students who disregard this rule, he said.
Students say there is a reason the ordinance is so often ignored: the dangers of riding in the streets. Many stretches of road are poorly surfaced, with cracks and potholes hazardous to bikers. Many bike lanes in Evanston also double as parking lanes, which sometimes causes collisions between bikers and car doors or passengers exiting vehicles. Humecki was hit by a car door this summer while biking through Evanston, and the accident outside Patten Gymnasium Sept. 27 resulted in one student going to the hospital.
Despite these dangers and annoyances, Corbin said she wishes the University would implement Evanston’s separate bike lane practice on campus. Separating cyclists from pedestrians would both relieve congested paths and reduce opportunities for collisions, she said.
“It’s frustrating that there’s no good system for bikers,” she said. “It’s frustrating to have such clogged sidewalks. I wish there were both bike paths and pedestrian paths on campus.”
Still, many consider biking a worthwhile way to navigate campus. Steve Jacobson, an avid biker and senior design and prototyping specialist at McCormick’s Segal Design Institute, has been riding his recumbent bike on and around campus nearly every day since 1979. Jacobson said safety conditions are often “horrible,” but that biking to work is still cheaper and more worthwhile to him than dealing with the cost of gas, parking fees and traffic.
Ava Wallace contributed reporting to this story.
