Bike commuting to/from/across a college campus

I started bike commuting when I started my Master of Science degree out in Corvallis Oregon in Fall 1997.  Since then, with the exception of 6 months living in Delemont Switzerland, all my jobs have been on University Campuses. Thus the majority of my bike-as-transportation riding has been to and from a campus, and much of my race training riding has involved crossing campuses.  There are a few lessons to be learned.

First and foremost... know what times class changes occur and how long students are given between classes.  Once that information is in hand, NEVER ride across a campus during the class change times. Students seem to  be clueless.  That could be a bit harsh, it might be that they just can't see and hear traffic. Most students I have observed in the last four or five years are plugged into earbuds - playing their music/podcasts/listening to their friends on the phone at a high enough volume that I, as a passing cyclist, can clearly hear what they are listening to.  It does not matter if you have a bell or a car horn or an air horn. The plugged in student will not hear you. It also seems I have seen students at all times of day and in all weathers wearing dark sunglasses.  Students also seem to treat every inch of every road on campus as a cross walk. Stepping out from between parked cars and behind buses without looking. I can't tell you how many times I have had someone enter the street in the middle of a block less than a meter in front of me. Invariably I am the one they blame for their near miss. Thus far I have not hit a pedestrian, but I have gone down to avoid them twice - both times when the pedestrian came out from a concealed place did not look for traffic and stepped directly in front of me where there was no crosswalk.

Second: Bike lanes are not for bikes, they are extra sidewalks. The bike lane as sidewalk was a particular issue at Cornell and Oregon State. It is a bit ironic, getting dirty looks from drivers when riding in the car lanes instead of the bike lanes, and dirty looks from pedestrians when riding in the bike lanes rather than in the car lanes.

Third: at intersections with traffic signals and pedestrian signals, the moment the lights change and a pedestrian signal turns red, they cross.  This seems to be the modus operandi here at Rutgers Newark. Surprisingly this happens with cars as well as when I am the only vehicle waiting at the intersection. I have seen student and professorial types do this.

Forth: Although I have been told that bus drivers get training on looking for bikes, don't ever assume a bus driver has seen you, and use extreme caution around bus stops. This holds for city buses as well. I don't say this to be negative to the bus drivers. I have never been in the driver seat of a bus and thus have no idea where the blind spots are. For a bus taking on passengers, the driver is paying attention to a lot of things and may not have seen you come along side to pass.  Also, non cyclists seem to have no idea how fast a bike moves - they may think they have room to pull in after passing you but if you are moving faster than they realize their distance may not be adequate.

Fifth: Watch for bikes on the wrong side of the road and riders who pretend they are pedestrians to avoid stopping at red lights and stop signs. College campuses I have been on, with the exception of Rutgers-Newark, seem to be a hot spot for people riding their bikes on the wrong side of the road. Generally when I see it I call out that they are on the wrong side of the road, and usually I am met with blank looks.  This, and the habit some riders have of coming to a red light and riding through it on the pedestrian crosswalks, often times then turning left, are by biggest pet peeves regarding other riders. The turning left by first running a red light by riding in the crosswalk and then coming through the the green light of the cross street really frustrates me.  I have a spot on my commute where it does not feel safe to ride through and intersection. I would have to merge left out of a right turn only lane into a go strait lane at a spot where even at 6:45 AM there is lots and lots of traffic. I cross at the cross walk... but I get off my bike, wait for the pedestrian signal to say walk, and then I walk across the street and remount on the other side.  It is annoying and I would rather not have to get off my bike, but it is the safest way for everyone involved; motorists, pedestrians, and myself. I feel that every rider who disregards the rules of the road like this makes it more dangerous for me to ride my bike on the road. I don't own (and have never owned) a car, and many places I have lived, the bike has been my only option to run errands or to get to and from work in a timely fashion. I deal with the consequences of people's irresponsible actions leaving negative impressions on drivers every day.

Green means... hesitate?

I was reflecting this morning, on traffic lights... while on my commute (7 miles, 17 traffic lights, the 'burbs' to downtown Newark, NJ).

Most places I have ridden, a green traffic light is a non-item... just ride on through and enjoy the ride that little bit more for it not being interrupted by that light. Most places I have ridden are, however, rural. I could pick routes that had few if any traffic lights to get to most of my destinations.

Here though, in the outskirts of Newark riding into the city I was surprised to note that I feel differently about green lights once I cross over into the city proper. My commute starts in a town and 5 traffic lights and 2.5 miles later I am in a park that has only two lights. I enjoy the park for 3 or so miles and when I leave the park I am in the city and the remaining 10 lights await me in the last couple of miles.  Those lights are somehow different.  I have hit them all on red. I have hit half of them on red. I have never hit them all on green. I wonder if the later is somehow a subconscious thing. Today, when I did hit a couple on green... it felt shady, almost like I was doing something wrong, when riding on through.  It feels more natural to stop at them and wait. I have no idea why I feel this way. It feels quite absurd to not want to ride on through a green light. Yet I can't shake the feeling.

I have only been doing this commute for a few months. I moved to the Newark area in September and it took until January for me to get the nerve up to commute in such an urban area.  I was using the train from September through December - a very convenient, and for me relatively inexpensive transit option - but also one full of people sneezing and coughing and sniffling... and one which required me to adhere to a schedule that felt inflexible. I finally told myself to stop being a baby and just do it... and low and behold it was not as scary as I thought... but now I seem to fear the green lights.