Some University of Maryland students are raising safety concerns for pedestrians and micromobility users on the Campus Drive bike lane.
The two-way bike lane along the Purple Line tracks on Campus Drive was completed last fall, The Diamondback previously reported. A sidewalk runs parallel to the bike lane without a barrier separating them.
Several university community members said pedestrians and micromobility users straying from their respective lanes has led to dangerous interactions near the bike lane.
Madalyn Caiazzo, a freshman environmental science and technology major, said she rides her e-scooter to class multiple times a day. While she believes using the bike lane is safer than riding on the road, Caiazzo said she often finds herself scootering on the street due to pedestrians walking on the bike lane.
“Just because there’s a bike lane doesn’t mean there’s enough room for everyone,” Caiazzo said.
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The latest safety concerns about the Campus Drive bike lane come more than a year after many community members criticized an intersection between the bike lane and the Purple Line tracks, citing that it did not meet industry standards, The Diamondback previously reported.
Austin Chapman, a junior supply chain management major, said while she appreciates the new bike lane, it’s steep and has too many crosswalks. Like Caiazzo, Chapman said pedestrians often walk where they are not supposed to, which can create a dangerous situation.
“You got to dodge around people … you could end up hitting somebody,” Chapman said.
This university’s Department of Transportation Services and Facilities Management wrote in a statement to The Diamondback that this university provides educational materials to both micromobility users and pedestrians on how to safely navigate campus.
Facilities Management is scheduled to reline the Campus Drive bike lane during spring break, or the week before, depending on weather, according to the statement.
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Madison Chirpka, a senior public health science major, said the bike lane has also posed a danger to pedestrians. Chirpka said she has almost gotten hit by micromobility vehicles, while other people she knows have been hit. But Chirpka admitted she has walked in the bike lane before.
“I’m probably guilty of that,” Chirpka said. “I’ve known people who are probably guilty of that, too.”
But Tamarus Walker said he hasn’t experienced many issues with pedestrians in the bike lane.
Walker, a sophomore family science major who sometimes rides an electric bike to class, said that he has observed police directing micromobility users to ensure they follow rules.
Moving forward, students proposed solutions to make the bike lane safer for both pedestrians and micromobility users.
Caiazzo said this university needs to make it easier to differentiate the bike lane and sidewalk.
Chapman urged this university to place barriers between the bike lane and sidewalk to keep people in their own lanes.
“[They need to] give some separation to the space,” Chapman said.
