And at this rate, not only will accidents occur, they'll seriously injure pedestrians, too. On Monday, at least three bicycles passed me while I walked back and forth on Emmet Street between Lambeth Field and central Grounds. No big deal, perhaps, unless one takes into account that the distance between myself and the bikers ranged from zero to two inches. I never received any warning signal, and the speeds of the cyclists were fairly high. In any one instance, had I stumbled sideways or turned another direction, a collision likely would have been unavoidable.
People tend to discount the physical danger a bicycle presents.
The vehicle looks so flimsy that we expect it to be nearly harmless. That, however, overlooks one important fact. One hundred and fifty pounds of person on 30 pounds of bike going at any speed upwards of 2 mph is going to hurt. A collision between a bicycle and a pedestrian can mean broken bones, concussions or fractured skulls for those involved. The danger to pedestrians is all the more inexcusable because cyclists are supposed to utilize roads and not sidewalks.