I’m over it
By SABRINA FIGUEROA — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu
Ah yes, Davis: the self-proclaimed bicycle capital of America. It’s also the capital of constantly almost getting run over.
One thing I love about Davis is that it’s one of the most walkable cities I’ve ever been to, which adds to its charm. Walking under colorful fall trees with music blasting in your headphones and the warmth of a Peet’s coffee cup in your hand is very peaceful, until you try crossing a four-way intersection. Suddenly, people forget how to read road signs: especially the bikers.
While I despise Davis’ bike culture due to its ignorance of traffic rules, (possibly my most controversial opinion yet), it doesn’t excuse the atrocious behavior of pedestrians and drivers I have seen, either. Even though we all make mistakes and run late sometimes, that doesn’t mean we can stop considering our safety and the safety of the people around us. So, out of my pure frustration with my recent pedestrian experiences, here is a guide on how to navigate the chaos of the Davis roads:
- Stop at stop signs, yield when necessary. This might be a given, and perhaps the most obvious rule of the road. However, the amount of times I’ve seen a biker almost get run over by a car or other bikers because they don’t stop or yield — then watching them proceed to get angry — warrants this reminder.
- Communicate: Eye contact, hand signals and mouthing words are all useful ways of communicating if you’re giving up your right-of-way, wanting to make a turn or thanking someone. Clarity comes from communicating, especially on the road.
- Put your phone away and check to see if bikes or cars are coming before crossing the street. Another very obvious one, but there’s so many UC Davis students out there who cross the street with their full attention on their phones.
- If you aren’t confident that you can make it across the street before a bike or car comes, just wait. No one is rushing you to cross, you can take your time. Don’t end up like the chicken who crossed the road (squished).
- Don’t speed up to make pedestrians walk faster (I’m talking to you, electric scooter people). It’s mean, and one day someone won’t care or won’t see and it’ll be a bad day for both of you when you crash.
- Slow down in general (again this is more aimed toward scooter people). Is there ever a reason for someone to be going 30mph on a tiny scooter? At least it makes people giggle.
- Get a light. This is for both pedestrians and bikers who travel at night. Davis is not a well-lit city and you are not visible in the dark — wearing a light or reflective clothing can save your life.
- Use your blinkers and learn your hand signals. Please.
This small town still has a beautiful sense of community and kind people — and it’s time we extend that to the road. While nothing about this guide is novel, for a town full of college kids at a rigorous university, we lack common sense when it comes to safely navigating the road. Some of us study rocket science, yet our confusion lies with traffic rules.
Written by: Sabrina Figueroa — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
