Look Out!

This week had been fairly slow until Tuesday. My people-watching was going smoothly as I walked to class. Still, nothing particularly caught my attention. But, as a wise man once said, "expect the unexpected." My eyes, which were darting around the street, suddenly fixated themselves on a rapidly approaching object. This object was a man. A man on a bike.

Let me ask you, my fellow Penn Staters, have you almost been run over by a bike on campus? Well, if so, you might understand the fear I felt as I watched a man barrel toward me at seemingly triple-digit speed. Don't worry, though, I luckily was able to avoid his murderous roll and I am here now, writing this blog, not only for your entertainment, but as a cautionary tale.

A speed demon on a bike.
Photo Credit: Miguel Pinheiro 6x6

So, after nearly being run down, I decided I would focus my attention on bikers. Over the next few days, I noticed how utterly careless some of the riders were. I observed one student as he rode his bike with no hands. Really, man? You knew this probably wasn't a good idea. I watched as he narrowly missed crushing a female student. He came so close to hitting her that the female student dropped a book she was holding. In another instance, a gang of bikers came whizzing down Pollock Road and almost took out a group of students crossing the street. Thankfully, the bike riders were able to stop in time. Please don't let my somewhat (hopefully) humorous tone detract from the severity of the bike threat.

So, what is it with these bikers? They seem to be indifferent to walkers, uncaring if they side-swipe a person or two. I urge everyone to exercise caution when crossing streets or when walking on busy sidewalks, such as those in front of the HUB. If I were to offer an hypothesis as to why these bikers are so aggressive, I would blame it on the stress of school. Even though I may only get brief glimpses at bikers before they speed by, they are still people. In all honesty, I would bet they are just trying to get to class. If you find yourself stressed out about school or getting to class on time, I recommend meditative exercise or cup of hot green tea; I can attest to their effectiveness. 

Don't get me wrong, I think bikes are great, but I think bike riders should be more cognizant of their less-mobile brethren who don't have a bike.

As always, I can't make this stuff up. I hope you enjoyed this post and come back next week for more exciting, unpredictable people-watching adventures!