Want bikes off the sidewalk? Build bike lanes.

While UMD policy states that bikes and scooters should be ridden on the road and off of sidewalks¹, university infrastructure does nothing to incentivize their policy. So when scooterists or cyclists find the university roads unsafe or inconvenient, they take to the sidewalks. Without separate infrastructure, individuals will continue to violate university policy.

We are at a turning point where UMD policy can no longer ignore the deficiencies in transportation infrastructure. The Metro Purple Line construction through campus is a great opportunity for improved infrastructure. More people are cycling since the start of the pandemic². Fuel prices are high enough that people might also consider cycling as opposed to driving³.

A few years ago, while commuting to campus by bicycle, a car abruptly turned in front of me resulting in a collision that not only destroyed my bicycle, but left me with injuries that took months to heal. After a few more close calls, I stopped commuting by bicycle, that is until very recently. This time around, I recognize that my experience was inevitable due to the lack of separate infrastructure, and the risk has only increased as the use of micromobility devices - like electric scooters - has proliferated.

Because campus roads are unsafe and inconvenient, people on bikes and scooters naturally route themselves onto sidewalks, paths, and trails on campus. Though the university only mentions not riding on sidewalks in its bicycle safety documentation¹, a spokesperson from UMD gave more detail on the subject:

In the state of Maryland, bicycles are considered vehicles. They may be ridden only on roads. On campus sidewalks, paths and trails, the rider may dismount and walk the bicycle to the nearest road. Bicyclists must always give the right of way to pedestrians.

UMD considers all sidewalks, paths, and trails on campus to be off-limits to cyclists. The reasoning they use for this is that the state of Maryland considers bicycles to be vehicles. While it is true that, when legally riding on a roadway, cyclists are "subject to all duties required of the driver of a vehicle", the state of Maryland also says that cyclists have all the rights and restrictions of pedestrians when legally riding in pedestrian areas⁴. One only needs to look at the Paint Branch Trail that runs adjacent to campus for an example of a state-sanctioned off-road path where cyclists are allowed⁵.

UMD has decided, then, to add extra restrictions on top of the state definition. This position that the university has taken to force cyclists to be solely on roadways is in direct opposition to the university's own research into what the campus population feels is safe for cyclists. A 2009 study at UMD showed that the fear of vehicular traffic on campus prevented 64% of cyclists who hadn't ridden in the past year from cycling to campus⁶. This was the most common reason given for not cycling among people that owned bicycles.

Protected bike lanes are the safest form of bicycle infrastructure, and both cyclists and scooterists would use them⁷. The university should add protected bike lanes and dedicated paths to high traffic areas, vehicular or pedestrian. Additionally, UMD should create clear signage and maps that use a consistent symbolic vocabulary.

Separate infrastructure, maps, and signage would make the university's transportation network more equitable and less polluting⁸. Safe cycling infrastructure has been shown to encourage more women and under-represented groups to ride bicycles⁹. Bike lanes increase ridership in general, potentially freeing parking spaces, and reducing traffic on roads and sidewalks¹⁰.

The motivation is here, and it is strong. UMD; let's get these lanes built.

thejevans/umd-bike-sidewalk.md

Want bikes off the sidewalk? Build bike lanes.

Footnotes