STAFF EDITORIAL: Safer cycling around Penn

Penn's campus needs clearly demarcated bike lanes on major streets to improve the safety and security of pedestrians and cyclists. Pedestrians have walkways, sidewalks and crosswalks. Subways run underground, trolleys run along tracks and buses and cars use city streets. But if you're riding around University City on a bike, you're out of luck. Right now, the only thing the University tells bicyclists is where they can't ride -- most prominently, on Locust Walk between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. And so, at present, bike traffic moves in haphazard fashion, careening down sidewalks or darting in and out of traffic. That is dangerous for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. It doesn't make sense to continue to push cyclists onto streets and sidewalks already used for other types of transportation. Bicycles are a fact of life on Penn's campus and are likely to become more common as the campus continues to extend its boundaries. And so, Penn's campus planners need to account for bikes in much the same way they account for every other form of transportation. The good news is that the solution to Penn's bike problem is far from complicated and not that expensive -- Penn needs to work with the city to establish clear bike lanes on and around campus. Bike lanes are far from unprecedented. Many Center City streets already have such lanes -- usually marked with clear yellow lines and occasional images of a bike -- running along the sides of streets. Such a project may seem relatively minor. It would not significantly change the campus landscape or present naming opportunities for donors. But that should in no way detract from its importance or its potential to improve the quality of campus life for pedestrians and bikers alike.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.