Traffic policy and biker infrastructure play a pivotal role in keeping bikers, pedestrians, and motorists safe on OSU’s roads. Traffic policy dictates what rules bikers must follow in order to ensure road safety and biking infrastructure allows accessibility but when poorly placed causes public safety problems.
Traffic policy and its enforcement causes safety issues for everyone on campus. Oregon State’s policy says that bicycles must obey stop and one-way signs, and follow the rules of the road. The policy is available to everyone but it is rarely ever enforced. When it is not enforced, it is not followed. A policy is set in place for safety purposes, so when it is not followed, safety is no longer a priority.
Bike policy affects campus safety in two ways, one, it holds people accountable to the same standard, and two, it guides people who do not know the rules of the road. Oregon State could successfully improve pedestrian safety on their campus by monitoring and enforcing the rules of transportation.
Biking infrastructure like bike racks provide a key support for student bikers. While these structures are very important they can become a safety hazard depending on where they are placed. For instance, a bike rack located on the side of SW 26th street is located on a highly traveled pedestrian walkway. As student bikers go to the bike rack to lock up their bike and as they leave they have to travel on this pedestrian walkway. This creates a public safety issue as it dramatically increases the chances of a collision. Moving this bike rack closer to the road would reduce the chance of collision by shoring the distance student bikers would have to travel on the sidewalk to lock up their bike.