Every now and then, I notice things around campus that bother me. Sometimes, it may be garbage on the ground or people being rude, but this time: it was a motorcycle.
Motorcycles are known to be more economically friendly and save space in the garage, but recently, I have decided that motorcycles are overrated.
I have always disliked motorcycles. They get to park right next to the front door of most buildings on campus, motorcycle decals are cheaper than normal student decals for automobiles and when I think there is an open parking spot at the front of the parking lot, there is usually a motorcycle occupying what I thought to be a lucky spot. Though I have many reasons to dislike them, motorcycles have never upset me to a very large extent.
My dislike for motorcycles increased when I was walking to class and noticed a motorcyclist riding down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. I probably wouldn’t have had a problem with it except for when it was time for me to pass the bike, I had to jump into the grass and move out of the way so the large, red motorcycle didn’t hit me.
The last time I checked, sidewalks are legally made for pedestrians. Bicycles, skateboards and other non-motorized forms of transportation are usually accepted. Motorized vehicles are made for the streets.
According to House Bill No. 51 of the Mississippi Legislature, no motorized vehicle should be on a sidewalk:
“No motorized vehicle shall be allowed on the sidewalk of any municipality. For purposes of this section, ‘motorized vehicle’ means any vehicle that is self-propelled, and ‘sidewalk’ means that portion of a street between curb lines, or the lateral lines of a roadway and the adjacent property lines intended for the use of pedestrians.”
Beside the fact that riding a motorized vehicle on the sidewalk is illegal, it is also upping the probability of hurting someone or yourself.
According to msgroup.org, people riding motorcycles are twice as likely to be involved in an accident than people riding in a passenger car, and motorcycle accidents are four times more likely to be deadly than passenger car accidents.
Now I would understand riding on the sidewalk if there weren’t anyone walking, but there were multiple students trying to walk to class. The road is right next to the sidewalk, so I don’t understand why someone would want to ride a motorcycle on the sidewalk in the first place. I would think it would take longer.
I don’t know why motorcycles can’t have the same rules as cars. Drive on the street, park in the parking lot and pay the same amount of money for a parking decal. It would be really easy to cut a few parking spots in half and require the motorcycles to park there. If they didn’t have the opportunity to park on the sidewalk, it would most likely lower the probability of someone driving on the sidewalk.
I could understand the motorcycle parking decals to be less than the other automobile decals if they take up less space in a parking lot, but right now, the sidewalk is their parking lot. How fair is that?
April Windham is a sophomore majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].