Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to the letter posted Sept. 1, titled 'Bikes can be more dangerous than scooters'.
While we agree with the writer that there are careless bike riders, that bike riding should be more closely regulated and traffic patrollers need to crack down on unsafe bike riders, we do not agree that bikes should be banned and put in the same regulation class as scooters. Bikes and scooters are not comparable.
The use of scooters seems to be more recreational than bikes. Bikes are a necessity, especially at a campus like BYU. The campus is spread out and, for people living off campus, bikes are sometimes the sole means of transportation. For example, one of us has a class at the J. Reuben Clark Law Building and, 10 minutes later, has a class at the Ezra Taft Benson Building. Even with a bike, that is still not enough time between classes. Additionally, having a car is not of much use here, because finding a parking spot is such a hassle. The writer assumed that, since he has seen a few reckless bike riders, all bike riders are reckless. This is not true for the majority of the bike-riding population. The example about the death of a pedestrian at the University of Utah seems to be a freak accident and does not truly threaten the safety of BYU students. But as we all we yearn for a safe environment, we do agree that bike riding need not be taken lightly. All bike-riding rules need to be followed at all times, regardless of personal reasons for breaking them.
M. Johnston
R. Gonzales