Ball State has been striving to make the university a more bike-friendly campus, and there may be plans to add bike lanes to the campus sometime in the future.
Jim Lowe, director of Engineering, Construction and Operations, said it is something that can be done, but there is a lot to take into account before such a plan could be put into action.
"Any bicycle path plan would have to be sympathetic to, in our case, the campus, pedestrian traffic, vehicular traffic and the fact we have green spaces," Lowe said.
Lowe also said many places that are bicycle-enthusiastic have very strict laws that pertain to the cyclists.
"It's not just putting a line down on a street," Lowe said. "There is a lot of thought that has to go into what this looks like, and there are a lot of people with a lot of different opinions."
John Callahan, president of the Cycling Club, thinks that it could be beneficial if Ball State had the space for them.
"Places like McKinley wouldn't be accommodating for bike riders since it's already narrow," Callahan said. "But the other streets bordering campus, like Neely, New York or Riverside, may work."
Callahan also said the lanes would be useful to commuters since they would not have to ride on the sidewalks.
The attitude of bikers and drivers toward each other is also an aspect to take into account because the driver-biker relationship varies from person to person.
"Generally, the drivers are aware of cyclists and those commuting, so they give us our space," Callahan said.
Jerrette Girardier, a junior criminal justice major, has taken notice of both the pros and cons of bike lanes on campus.
"If the bikers actually used the lanes, then it could be something good, but it just depends on the person," Girardier said. "Some bikers are considerate and some are inconsiderate. The same goes for the drivers."
Richard Bowerman, a sophomore pre-business major, said he also sees both sides of the issue.
"One problem I could see is people walking in the bike lanes," Bowerman said. "But overall, I think it [would] be a good thing because there wouldn't be any bikers in the way."
Lowe said he hopes to keep seeing things evolve to the point where Ball State will eventually have bike lanes present.
"I don't think it will be one of those planes where it's a start, stop, you're done," Lowe said. "People will start to see some things soon evolving, and then it will just continue to evolve over time."
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