The end of the class hour approaches as 300 students scramble out of 9 a.m. anthropology in Kildee Hall. Some choose to walk; others take a seat on CyRide, while the rest hop on a bike to get to their next class within the 10-minute time frame.

The sidewalks fill with numerous students coming from both directions traveling to their various destinations. Walking to my next class feels similar to driving during rush hour on I-35, except I don’t have the frame of a car to protect me from harm.

What do I need protection from? What do I fear each day walking from Kildee Hall to Hoover Hall? I fear the people who choose to ride their bike. The bicyclists have instilled a fear within my cranium to the point where I am constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering who is going to whiz by me at 10 miles an hour and take me down with their brand new Schwinn. Walking on an innocent sidewalk shouldn’t be dangerous, but it is.

Each day many bicyclists choose to ride on the sidewalks rather than the street. They swerve in and out of groups of people without a thought for the safety of pedestrians, let alone themselves.

It simply isn’t safe to maneuver through a crowd of people without any sort of warning. One small side step or a ridiculous hand gesture by one person can cause serious injuries to the bicyclist and the pedestrian if neither is paying attention.

“I was walking on Central Campus towards the Jischke Honors building where the sidewalks are very narrow, when all of a sudden a biker came out of nowhere, whizzed past me, and almost hit me” said Karah Jones, freshman in chemistry.

Let’s face it, constantly looking over your shoulder isn’t a way to live. We pedestrians have the right to walk without intrusive thoughts telling us, “WATCH OUT!” An impending bike can either be easily heard, or like an approaching lion stalking its prey, silent and deadly.

Although riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is perfectly legal in most places, it is still a hazard. Only when the sidewalk is sparsely populated, and the rider is going at the pedestrians walking speed is it considered safe. Perhaps these “sidewalk riders” feel taking the sidewalk will save them minutes in their journey to class, because the sidewalks certainly do go more places than our roads.

“I think it would be helpful if they had sidewalks painted with a line to create two separate lanes, one for walkers, and the other for bikers,” Jones said.

Pedestrians always have the right of way, hands down, and when this is ignored, it can create accidents. Bicyclists must comply with the rules of the road, just as motor vehicles do under Iowa law, or any other state.

The Iowa Department of Transportation states that bicyclists on roadways are required to obey all traffic signs. They should also use hand signals to advise others of your intentions. Remember to select your route carefully, ride on all authorized streets or highways where applicable, and for those fashion conscious riders, a helmet is always a good accessory.

Most importantly, if bicyclists choose to use the sidewalk, they should use their voice, a horn or a bell to warn others that they are approaching. Safety and consideration for others is the key to preventing cuts, scrapes, body casts and brain damage.

In the end, it is their choice; however, it is in everyone’s best interest if the sidewalks are for walkers, and the roads for cars and bicycles.

So give the person on foot a worry free day. Let them use the sidewalk, and take a ride on some of the breathtaking paved roads Iowa State has to offer for their safety and your own.

— Justine Hain is a freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication and Spanish from Rochester, Minn.