Marcia Ratliff/Winonan

It seems that not all students in Winona share a sense of context and responsibility when they are riding bicycles.

I walk to campus on sidewalks every day, and I can generally bet on being passed, often without warning, by a student on a bike.

Sometimes I have to walk on the grass because a biker is nonchalantly coming toward me in the middle of the sidewalk.

This is a problem. Not walking in the grass, but bikers on sidewalks.

Contrary to popular habit, cyclists do not have the right-of-way on sidewalks. Cyclists should not even be on sidewalks. Especially not able-bodied twenty-somethings.

Cyclists are expected, rather, to obey the rules of the road and behave more like cars than pedestrians. Elderly and extremely young excepted, I’d like to see more Winona State University students riding their bikes safely on the street, not the sidewalk.

What I really don’t understand is why some college students choose to ride on the sidewalk in the first place. On streets, cyclists can go faster and face less cracks, pedestrians and debris. They can make turns more quickly and safely as well.

If cars are a problem, it’s probably because many people don’t know how to ride their bikes on the street. Winona, with its wide streets and Minnesota-nice drivers, is the place to learn.

Basically, cyclists are supposed to use hand signals and headlights and bike in a predictable manner. More often than not, however, I see college students crossing the street without an intersection and biking without lights at night. How, then, is a driver supposed to a) see the cyclist and b) know how to drive around him or her?

Is it nerdy to use hand signals and a headlight? I don’t think so. Although bike laws are confusing and vary by state and even city, it’s generally safe to assume that like seatbelts, hand signals and headlights are required, not just recommended.

According to Minnesota Statute 169.222, bicyclists are granted the same rights and duties as motor vehicle drivers. They should ride on the right and may ride a maximum of two side-by-side as long as they don’t disrupt traffic.

When in crosswalks, cyclists are treated as pedestrians; however, they are encouraged to walk their bikes in crosswalks. In other words, if you are going to be where people are walking, walk. It’s not a crossbike or a sidebike.

In Winona specifically, biking on the sidewalk in the central business district is against the law. It’s technically legal outside the downtown business district but “discouraged for those over the age of 16,” according to the city of Winona’s website.

In other words, if you are a college student riding on the sidewalk, you are acting like a kid. Stop it.

Contact Marcia at [email protected]