pedestrians

Distracted pedestrians

I barely saw you jogging last night with your headphones in, wearing dark clothes. I almost hit you this morning as you hurried across the street to class, with your head down, checking your phone. I am aware of you and watching out for your safety, but are you?

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.