It's a bird! It's a plane! No — it's a Princeton student zipping around campus — on a golf cart?
I thought Springdale was on the other side of Forbes, but apparently the 17th hole is now located underneath the archway by McCosh 50, and the 18th hole been moved to D-wing of the E-Quad. Talk about a par 5!
I seriously think I am going to start wearing body armor every time I step outside my dorm. Apparently, I've been falsely living under the impression that Princeton is a safe environment. No gangs, no crime, little violence. All this may be true, but now a new vehicular threat category has emerged. Golf carts, bicycles, those super-mini vans that make annoying beeping sounds — you name it.
Those of us who expect pedestrian-vehicle separation have felt our worlds turned upside down. Says Neil Swami '07, "I've been run into by a golf cart on a sidewalk, and it hurts. They think they own the sidewalks. But no. They don't." Swami's surely not the only student to have been involved in such a collision, as I have heard of several other incidents.
After extensive discussion, Swami and I have determined that sidewalks are called sidewalks, not sidedrives, for a good reason. And no, the whole parking on a driveway thing does not apply in this situation.
Admittedly, golf carts are a useful and necessary means of transportation for injured or disabled students. As long as golf cart operators take extra special care to avoid us helpless pedestrians, their use is acceptable.
Bicycle riders, on the other hand, have become more problematic. The number of bicycle collisions I have observed is astronomic. Some examples of memorable bicycle follies include the student who tried to ride down the steps by the 1903 courtyard and went flying over his handlebars onto the pavement and the friend who was knocked off of his bike — by a golf cart. Bicyclists are asking for a lot of pain.
I don't mean to denounce campus bicycling because it is dangerous for the riders. Frankly, that's not of much concern to me. However, bicycle riders no longer pose a danger only to themselves. Initially, the core of bicyclists consisted of skilled riders with one of the two legitimate needs for biking to class — living in Forbes or being an engineer. As Swami notes, "Some of these people don't even know how to ride bikes, and they just freak you out."
I myself have had to dodge wobbly riders numerous times. And if you're walking down a hill, you better be extremely careful because some of these bicyclists just do not know how to stop.
I am almost serious when I propose that the University issue biking licenses. We need licenses to operate just about any other type of vehicle. Why should bicycles be different? There should be a written examination and extensive training. You may scoff, but trust me, it is not pleasant to have a wheel crunch your kneecap when you are on your way back from the history lecture you just slept through.
My biggest concern is bicyclists attempting to get to class in the winter when there is snow and ice on the ground. Biking to class under such conditions is foolish. I say no more.
Some people will argue that bicycles save time and allow students to efficiently move from class to class. In response, I tell them to be late to class or just walk briskly. I mean, all the cool kids are doing it. Enjoy the walk; our campus is beautiful. Talk to friends, and smell the Princeton air.
I don't care that I'll have to walk to the E-Quad two to three times a day next semester. I can make it. I don't care that bikes and golf carts swarm around me. I will walk. I am a champion of the pedestrian cause, and I call out to fellow pedestrians to join me in opposing this dangerous surge of vehicular activity and prevent it from encroaching upon our sacred territory, the sidewalk.
Perhaps one day all forms of campus transportation will coexist peacefully, but sadly this day is not today. Neel Gehani is a sophomore from Summit. He can be reached at ngehani@princeton.edu.
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