Drivers and bicyclists are on a collision course. Starting September 28, Maine law will prohibit texting while driving a motor vehicle, something Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichol said is important to note since "we are all guilty of it...from time to time."
Museum Security Supervisor Mike Perkins witnessed two near-accidents with bikers on College Street on the morning of September 16. Though the incidents were 20 minutes apart, they were essentially the same.
"[The second] person had their phone out [like the first person], only one hand on the handle bar, not looking where [they were] headed," said Perkins."I would hate to see something happen if you're trying to save two minutes," he added.
In the first few weeks of school, the Office of Safety and Security has received multiple complaints from drivers about student bikers and pedestrians unsafely crossing streets.
One of the most common things Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols has heard is that bicyclists "dart in a unsafe manner."
Especially as daylight hours wane, Nichols said that he hopes to ease driver's worries while educating bicyclists on safety.
Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster voiced his relief that nothing serious has happened in recent years, yet stressed the need for improved communication and safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
Foster himself had an encounter with a student bicyclist last fall as he was heading out of Moulton Union.
"I stepped out, she jammed on her brakes, [and] ran into me," he said. "I fell backwards, literally on my buttocks! She was mortified."
"What is kind of scary is that some bikers are going really fast on these lanes and at the same time there are people walking...you never know when a bike is going to come after you," said Beatriz Malibiran '14.
Nichols said that the most dangerous thing many Bowdoin students will do in a day is cross the street.
"We take for granted that the white paint of the crosswalk is somehow going to protect us, like it is some sort of force field around that cross walk," he said. "All it takes is one inattentive driver, or drunk driver."
One College employee who wished to remaine anonymous said she avoids driving around the College because of unsafe bicycle maneuvering.
"I've worked at Bowdoin a long time, so I have [witnessed near accidents] several times," she said. "As a person that lives in Brunswick, it is very annoying to drive around [because of it]."
She added that students often do not pay attention, assuming they have the right of way when they do not.
"I think it is confusing just even crossing the street whether cars are going to stop for you," said Tanu Kumar '12.
According to the Maine Motor Vehicle Statues Title 29-A, bicyclists should dismount and walk their bike across the crosswalk, and a "pedestrian must yield the right-of-way to a vehicle...[a pedestrian] may not suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close that it is impossible for the operator to yield."
Nichols not only encourages students to take extra time to walk their bike across busy streets but also stresses the importance of registering bikes on the Safety and Security website and locking them when not in use.
In a Security Alert email sent Thursday afternoon, Nichols described a "rash of bicycle thefts on campus" in the last week. Eight bikes or bike tires disappeared from Brunswick Apartments, Howard Hall, Stowe Hall, Coles Tower and Sargent Gym, with the majority of thefts occurring late Monday night and early Tuesday morning. Two of the bikes have since been recovered.