Biking is good exercise. Biking is cheap. Biking is good for the environment.
But is biking safe?
Rushed drivers oftentimes resort to the infamous “rolling stop” when coming up to a stop sign or stoplight. Although drivers are supposed to stop completely, bikers know better than to chance their own safety on this frequently ignored rule.
Journalism freshman Bailey Vogt lives in Taylor Place. He biked for years and decided it would be a useful asset to bring to college, because it is cheaper to ride his bike, he says.
“I hate how cars will just wiz right by you without even glancing and almost blow you off your bike," Vogt says. "It happened just the other day when I was going to my improv class.”
Vogt says that he has had to change his mindset since living downtown as well.
"I’ve come understand those risky tendencies of cars, and now I can adjust to the situation," he says. "They’re not going to stop, so I have to be the one to make sure I don’t get hit.”
Journalism sophomore Amanda Luberto lives in apartments downtown and has to ride her bike to and from the Cronkite school most nights. Although Luberto has a car, she tries to bike as much as she can.
She says that Roosevelt Street is the worst street she travels.
"You have to be pretty far into the road since it’s so hard to see around the cars," Luberto says. "Sometimes it can make you have to slam on your brakes just to avoid an accident.”
She also thinks the downtown area should consider making some improvements. “I wish downtown Phoenix had some bike lanes," she says. "It’s on its way to becoming a friendly city, but it’s still not there yet.”
Both Vogt and Luberto agree that biking can be dangerous around downtown. However, both feel that it is worth it in the end. For Vogt, he likes the fact that a bike has very little and inexpensive upkeep. Luberto feels that it is a faster way to get home late at night.
Reach the writer at amgonz48@asu.edu or via Twitter @AGonzo888.
