By Corey Christiansen
Safety has become a major concern for students using the pedestrian and bicycle ramp south of the Joseph Smith Building.
Signs separating the pedestrian and bicycle lanes are marked at the top of the ramp. However there is danger of collision halfway down the ramp where pedestrians cross through the bike route to a flight of stairs.
On Monday, September 17, a bicyclist struck Jennifer Mullins while she was jogging on the ramp at 6:15 p.m.
'I was running on the right side and I turned left to go down the stairs and this girl just plowed into me,' said Mullins, 19, a sophomore from Arlington, Texas, majoring in construction management.
The bicyclist flipped over Mullins and landed a few feet away from her on the ramp, she said. Both Mullins and the bicyclist sustained injuries.
'There''s a tire mark on the back of my leg,' Mullins said. Her right knee was also bruised and a large chunk of skin was scraped off her right elbow, she said.
The bicyclist suffered a bloody nose, but her identity is unknown because she left the scene without giving her full name, Mullins said.
Some students feel the intersection where Mullins was hit is unsafe because there are no warning signs and there is no speed limit for bicyclists.
'You don''t think about there being bikes there as you''re coming up the stairs,' said Anne-Marie Birk, 20, a junior from Odense, Denmark, majoring in humanities.
Every other day, people are almost hit by bicyclists as they come up the stairs, she said.
The BYU Traffic Office has not received any reports of other accidents at the intersection, but they will look at the area and assess the safety concerns, said Lt. Aaron Rhoades, manager of Parking and Building Security Services.
'There were signs there before, but unfortunately people break them down or take them,' he said.
Plans to enforce a speed limit for bicyclists on the ramp are not being considered, but that could change if the BYU Traffic Office receives other reports, Rhoades said.
However, safety problems with the intersection are not always the fault of the bicyclists.
'A lot of pedestrians cruise down the stairs without looking,' said Jay Baker, 23, a senior from Ephraim, Sanpete County, majoring in conservation biology.
'I''ve seen it go both ways. I have had to stop my bike before to avoid hitting people,' he said.
Putting up signs at the intersection would be helpful to let pedestrians and bicyclists know about the danger, Baker said.