Sharing the roads of Athens, GA can be challenging for bikers and drivers alike, according to data from interviews conducted by University of Georgia students over the past two weeks.
Twelve students were interviewed about their thoughts regarding bike lanes and safety for both cyclists and drivers. Several students voiced frustration with the size of the streets and the aggression of drivers. However, some were content with the status of cyclist safety.
“Generally I feel safe, meaning there’s always room for improvement,” said Jim Stradley, 51, who manages The Hub Bicycles in Athens, GA. As far as cycling goes, Stradley suggested cyclists “give space when appropriate and take space when it’s possible.”
Echoing a need for improvement, Jaico Celka, a sophomore from Suwanee, GA said, “I personally would be nervous to ride a bike in Athens. I feel like a lot of cars think they own the road more than bicyclists do.”
In Sept. 2016, a University of Georgia graduate student was killed and two others were injured while biking when struck by a drunk driver, according to a Red & Black article.
Citizens in Athens were angered as this incident was not the first of its kind.
“I would say this is infuriating and is happening too much,” said Athens attorney David Crowe. “We have a tight knit cycling community in Athens and on the group rides I do, we are always obeying the rules of the road and trying to be good stewards.”
Students interviewed expressed similar sentiments concerning the need for increased safety for cyclists.
“Drivers, like while they’re in the city, should be more consciously aware,” said Nick Johnson, a sophomore sports management major from Lilburn.
According to an article by the Red & Black, Athens-Clarke County has the highest amount of bike-car collisions in the state of Georgia.
Data collected by Georgia Bikes and the University of Georgia shows that Athens is the only city where the fault of the accident more often falls on the driver of the vehicle rather than the biker.
When asked how she felt on bikers affecting her safety as a driver, Bailey Smith, junior international affairs major from Rocky Mount, Carolina said that the concern was, “not so much my safety as much as like theirs.”
Smith discussed the difficulty of driving through neighborhoods and how cars take up the full lanes pushing cyclists in difficult positions.
Not all students are cyclists, but sensitivity towards those that ride bikes seems to be increasing.
“My computing ethics professor actually bikes everywhere and is a big advocate for bikes in the Athens area,” said Blake Cleary, junior computer science major from Rowell, GA. “So he’s kind of given me a bigger heart for biking in Athens.”
Sources
In person interviews with Laura Allen, Ashley Gruber, Cara Silcox, William Lanzilotta, Brian Molley, Jim Stradley, Bailey Smith, Blake Cleary, Wilson Alexander, Jaico Celka, Daniyal Tahir, Nick Johnson, Cole Wilson, Kemani Miles, Lee Jourdan.
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http://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/athens-clarke-county-works-to-protect-safety-of-cyclists/article_1d13ff7e-cbb7-11e5-8b64-c3fdfe8f72b4.html