UI named bicycle friendly university
A national organization of bicyclists says the University of Illinois is one of the nation's leaders in creating a bicycle friendly environment.
Those comments come from the League of American Bicyclists, which named the UI one of six new bicycle friendly universities at a conference this week.
League spokesman Bill Nesper says most people undervalue biking as a way to get around a college campus, but the U of I has done just the opposite.
Hear from Bill Nesper.
- Nesper talks about biking at the U of I.
University officials say the award validates the work that's been completed to make the campus more bicycle friendly.
Some of the improvements include bike lanes on streets, bike repair stations, and bike safety education campaigns.
The UI also claims to have one of the oldest bike path networks at a university in the country. The first paths were installed on campus in the 1930s.
As a longtime cyclist I applaud the effort the University has made with bike paths and other such considerations. I am not so fond of some of the things the twin cities have done in this regard. The ill-considered "bike lanes" on State and Randolph in Champaign are a prime case in point.
Those streets are now effectively narrower which puts thosswenta fe cars in motion perilously close to parked cars. The constant shifting side to side at corners is confusing at best and terrifying at night, in the rain or when the road is snow-covered. Further, the proper execution of turns for both cars and bikes is a mystery as it appears virtually impossible without "crossing the streams" and creating a hazard.
Bicycles really shouldn't be on main streets like that. The opportunity for problems is simply too great.
I also believe that some of the money spent implementing and touting the "bike friendly" action should be spent instead on educating fellow cyclists on their rules of the road (yes, there are rules) and on enforcement via ticketing for failure to comply. Cyclists still have to obey traffic signals and signs. They still have to proceed in the correct direction on one-way streets. Etc.
Finally, I'm curious as to who pays for the streets. Is that gas tax money, general funds or both?
I was a bicycle commuter for years, before any of these changes were implemented and I was perfectly content to ride the side streets, far away from car traffic. Inviting bicycles to mingle with a constant stream of their 3000 lb steel counterparts seems ill-advised to me. If were to ride a bike to work again, I'd stick to the side streets. Don't get me started on the crosswalks...
Comments
News-Gazette.com embraces discussion of both community and world issues. We welcome you to contribute your ideas, opinions and comments, but we ask that you avoid personal attacks, vulgarity and hate speech. We reserve the right to remove any comment at our discretion, and we will block repeat offenders' accounts. To post comments, you must first be a registered user, and your username will appear with any comment you post. Happy posting.