24% of peds hit by bikes

I contacted Dr. Richard Potts, the professor who studied perceptions of cyclist safety at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. The studies are done by students in his Research Methods in Psychology class as a recurring lab assignment.

According to Dr. Potts, "On our campus, cyclists are unofficially allowed to ride wherever they want. There is no enforcement of any existing laws, including the one which prohibits bikes on sidewalks or riding against traffic."

"In observational portion of the study, we watched and counted cyclists crossing the crosswalks. A no-bikes symbol was painted on most of our crosswalks last spring. Despite those symbols, 90% of cyclists rode across the crosswalks [of 645 cyclists observed]."

In the survey, "an astonishing 24% of students report having been struck by a bike while walking on campus."

Here's a letter to the editor from a pedestrian who's been hit twice by sidewalk cyclists in the last month. Translation note: "pavement" is UK-speak for "sidewalk."

Click here for the summary of all the survey data.
Tags: sidewalk pedestrian safety bicycle stillwater research