 "Photo: Alex Treneff")
With rising gas prices, growing environmental concerns and difficult parking on MTSU's campus, many students have turned to riding their bicycles.
More students at MTSU have switched from battling traffic and parking on campus to riding their bikes, but with the heavy traffic flow on campus riding bikes can prove difficult according to Sarah Borguez, junior photography major.
"I think that cars try and watch for bicyclers but for the most part I think they just cant see us," Borguez said. "I do have trouble on campus sometimes, because you can't use the sidewalks; they are covered in people."
With this increase in bicyclists over the Murfreesboro area, bicycle shops have had an increase in business over the last couple months.
"Business is doing great," said Alex Gomez, owner of Pro Cycling in Murfreesboro. "I think that gas prices have a lot to do with our increased business, but any reason is good if it gets people to ride instead of drive."
There are some rules that both bicyclists and the people around them must remember to insure the safety of both the cyclist and the driver.
Bicyclists are permitted to ride on certain sections of freeways, so drivers should be alert and prepared when choosing to pass a bicyclist. Bikers must also ride in the same direction as other traffic to avoid a collision.
Cyclists are expected to ride in a straight line as near to the right curb or edge of the roadway as practical, and biking on sidewalks is prohibited. Also when making left and right turns, cyclists are to turn in the same way that drivers do, using the same lanes.
When riding a bike on main roads cyclists must also remember that they are entitled to use the left turning lane but when traveling straight, they must use a center lane as opposed to riding along the curb.
Jinsol Park, junior political science major said that she usually feels uncomfortable when riding her bike on main roads because she doesn't think there are enough regulations for people who drive cars.
While there are a number of rules for bicyclists to remember there are a few that drivers must also abide by such as looking carefully before opening doors next to moving traffic or before turning right.
Drivers must also safely merge toward the curb or into the bike lane as to not overtake a bicyclist just before making a right turn. They must merge and then turn.
"I am sure that people who drive cars know that they should watch out for bikers ,but most of the time I don't think that drivers are respectful of bikers," Park said. "Maybe if the government would require that all roads have bike lanes or set up a route specifically for bikers, some of those issues would stop."
Bikes are more susceptible to hazardous road conditions because of instability and thin tires so they must be more careful when biking on public roads. Potholes, sewer grates, and railroad tracks are all hazards for bikers on the road.
Over the last couple of months speculation has raised that with the growing number of cyclists that the rate in accidents will raise as well but according to Gomez, he feels that the more cyclists that are on the roads the better cars will learn how to deal with them.
"If cars are not used to maneuvering around bicycles then it will cause accidents but with the growing number of bikers, cars have become more accustomed and that will cause less accidents," Gomez said.
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