Dear Ball State Daily News,
I would appreciate if you would publish this open apology to the young woman and man whom I startled and grazed with my backpack, respectively, as I slowly rode my bike home past Kinghorn Hall Tuesday evening.
As I emerged from the near windowless confines of the Cooper Science Building, I was struck by the amount of snow that had been deposited in the nine prior hours. Having come by bike, I was faced with a dilemma. I could leave my transport and walk to campus the next day, walk the bike home, or ride intrepidly upon two wheels on what promised to be a challenging adventure. I chose to ride.
Pedaling with some difficulty, a result of both post-Break unfitness and the conditions of the riding surfaces, I made the decision, in the interest of personal safety, to carry forth on the pedestrian walkways. It has been noted on more than one occasion in this publication that be-wheeled personal transports are to stick to the roads, a rule by which I try daily to abide. Nonetheless, reasoning that biking on the roads in Muncie is a precarious undertaking when the pavement is dry and devoid of crystalline water, I convinced myself to take refuge on the relative safety of the sidewalk. Although I do not regret this debatable decision, I do send my apologies to those two unknown individuals with whom I had (near) contact. In spite of my efforts to be a neutral presence, I was unable to adjust adequately to the conditions.
The relationship between pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers at this university has been, at times, rather tense and negative experiences, like the ones I induced Tuesday, can be quite impressionable. I hope with this apology that I can do my part to help quell some of the feelings of ill will amongst the foot-going population at Ball State University towards bicyclists. Safe travels!
Ryan Cooper
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