bikes

Bikes, kayaks, and other outdoor gear on display at Outdoors Unlimited in Provo. This BYU service is a diamond in the rough. (Maddi Driggs)

Provo is the newest official 'Bicycle Friendly Community,' it has been announced. Due to safety measures and awareness of cyclists by motorists, Provo has shown it is worthy of the status handed out by the League of American Bicyclists.

BYU Police has turned itself into an overprotective mother figure. I appreciate their concern for the students, faculty and staff on campus, but they have taken some things too far — particularly the rule against scooters on campus. I’m not talking about motorized scooters, but the 8-pound aluminum device you power with your foot. These are prohibited at all times on campus grounds for reasons completely unexplained by police. This is likely because the police don’t even know why they are banned. I asked an officer myself a few weeks ago, and he had no explanation for me. I can only imagine it is because of some safety issue that was not thoroughly thought through. I don’t need to consult the physics department to know whether or not a scooter would cause less damage than a bicycle twice its size and can go twice its speed. Unlike roller blades or skateboards, scooters have a built-in brake on the back to politely stop for cars or pedestrians. If it’s the safety of the riders they’re concerned about, bikers are just as likely to have broken bones as scooter riders if hit by a car on campus.

The Utah Transit Authority and Provo City has invited the BYU community to take part in a full week of bike events throughout the state starting next week.