Never have I seen a group so disrespectful of the rules instituted in order to protect them and the innocent bystanders around them.

No, I am not talking about career criminals, the mentally insane or hockey players.

I am talking about the bicyclist. The bicyclist is a loathsome brute, some have described this beast as possessing fangs, horns and sharp claws.

Reportedly, this creature eats children and its eyes are always bloodshot.

The cyclist is always dangerous, and when it appears docile, beware. It is known for planning ambushes.

OK, let's get serious here.

I am fed up with cyclists riding around campus with complete and total disregard for the pedestrians around them (Disclaimer: I am not generalizing. I know not every cyclist acts this way). Don't get me wrong, I think the bicycle is a great mode of transportation. It saves us gasoline, exhaust gases, and it is convenient and cheap. It is just that some cyclists have ruined those aesthetics of it. I'll give you a couple of examples. I saw a collision between a cyclist and a pedestrian the other day. Although minor, it was the fault of the cyclist riding on a sidewalk (notice the word "walk" is in sidewalk) and lacking diligent care.

Every day, I see cyclists run stop signs and red lights, hardly looking either way for traffic. Sometimes a cyclist will ride the opposite way down the road (the left side) or even a one-way, creating quite a disturbance if there is any sort of traffic. By any sort of traffic, I mean two cars passing each other. Guaranteed, accidents are bound to happen, but what can we do to solve the problem?

At my old university, Montana State, bicycles aren't allowed to be ridden in the main section of campus, in order to protect pedestrians. Where every main thoroughfare intersected with campus, there were massive amounts of bike racks with plenty of space to lock up a bike and a sign that said something like "Non-biking Area." It was a rare sight to see someone riding on campus.

If you rode a bike on campus, you risked a fine and the shame of society. It was a glorious time. Why can't Penn State do that?

I have noticed the bike path, and the one time I walked by it, I saw a walker disrupting the path of a cyclist (that hurts me inside too). The major problem I saw with the situation was that the bike path was hardly noticeable. The paint detailing it was quite faded and the pavement was not distinct in any way. Additionally, what do we consider the bicycle? A non-motorized vehicle seems appropriate.

It only follows that if you can get a DUI on a bicycle, then obviously the law finds that acting in a reckless manner on a bicycle is a danger to society. Why does it stop at alcohol, though? If a cyclist is completely sober, yet acting in a very reckless manner, is he or she not more dangerous than an intoxicated cyclist obeying the traffic laws (obviously with the exception of riding drunk)?

Are those other situations I described earlier not dangerous? Of course they are.

Then, should a collision between a cyclist and pedestrian, on a sidewalk, not be considered vehicular assault?

All I know is that when I was young, I was told, by a police officer, that I, as a cyclist, have to respect the same ordinances that cars do. Stop at lights and stop signs, signal when turning, etc.

What do I propose? Bike lanes and steeper fines for those who do not obey with brutal enforcement (yes, I consider police-states to be aesthetically pleasing). When I reference bike lanes, I am talking about well-exposed bike lanes. Let's take an example from a city where cycling is part of the culture: Munich, Germany or Ljubljana, Slovenia.

They both have bike lanes that are painted red, traffic lights that signal OK for bicycles to cross, and it is a pedestrian's requirement to get out of the bike lane when bikes are occupying it (most cyclists have horns or bells to alarm amblers).

I understand the time and money it would take to do this. But, start slowly with semi-main roads like Pugh or Allen St.

As cyclists feel more comfortable, they will ride more (personally, I hesitate to ride to campus because I tend to park then walk).

Furthermore, if there are more accommodations for the safety of cyclists, we can expect that more people will ride and less will drive. Seeing how State College is gung-ho about going green and has a parking problem, this would be an excellent move for both the borough and campus.

It might even get us national acclaim on our "green" way of thinking.

And maybe, just maybe, if we, as a whole, make the first move toward making the streets safer for bicycles, they will make our sidewalks safer for walkers.