The dangers of biking around campus

Bikers around campus must be cautious of cars, bike thieves and thin gutter pans. Photo by: Devin Loretz

Although biking has increased in popularity throughout Las Vegas, the Maryland Parkway area continues to lag behind in maintaining safe routes for bikers.

The area directly across from the east side of campus in particular lacks bike lanes. It has narrow shoulders, no place to lock up bikes and yet is still heavily trafficked among pedestrians and bikers alike.

The problems have been noted by biking enthusiast Nathan Grill, 21, who builds bikes, commutes and promotes group bike rides and races.

“Las Vegas just isn’t very bike-friendly,” Grill said. “Car drivers and bikers need to be informed about the bicycle laws.”

Major problems for recreational bikers and commuters include the lack of bike lanes around the area and shoulders not meeting the 1.5-foot-wide gutter pan requirement of a bicycle route.

Right now, Alta Drive is one of the few major streets in the valley that contains a long running bike lane.

“There needs to be a bike lane on every major street,” Grill said, “or at least a four-foot shoulder.”

Many problems that concern the bicyclists around town are not as noticeable to the eyes of non-bikers. One of these problems is the inadequate number of bike racks on the sidewalk or in front of local businesses which prevents bikers from finding a place to lock up their bikes and forces them to leave their bikes unattended.

Problems like these can lead to costly replacements with bike shop prices ranging from $250 to $12,000.

“People steal bikes,” Grill said, “just like cars.”

There are more noticeable problems on the road as well. One of these problems is that both bicyclists and drivers simply not paying attention.

“In the last four months there have been two deaths,” Grill said. “And I have a handful of friends who have been hit.”

Issues like these are predominant near the UNLV campus and on Maryland Parkway where recreational biking and bike commuting has taken a more noticeable presence.

Speeding has also led to hazardous conditions for bikers, especially among heavily-biked and pedestrian-trafficked areas like Maryland Parkway where two of the 17 deaths in all of Nevada have occurred in the last two years.

“People drive over the speed limit,” Grill said. “If people were going 30 on Maryland Parkway I’d be able to keep up with them.”

Grill has personally seen an increase in biking as he has restored, built, and refurbished a large number of bikes for students over the years.

“Yes,” Grill said. “I’ve built quite a few bikes seen around campus.”

Recently Grill has had a hard time finding bikes to restore as they are disappearing from the spots he frequents to find bikes to refurbish.

“I used to be able to go to any thrift store and find a bike to restore,” Grill said. “Now it’s slim pickings. Everybody’s getting a bike.”

With the steady increase of bikers along Maryland Parkway and all over Las Vegas comes the rise in biking accidents and injuries including seven fatalities in Nevada thus far in 2008 and 10 in 2007.

A victim of such an incident was Bryan Novelo, 28, a cyclist active in the biking community who was struck by a car in mid-July while riding his bike. The accident took place along the Maryland Parkway crosswalk between Tropicana and Harmon avenues.

“I was crossing the crosswalk and a car didn’t hesitate or stop,” Novelo said. “There are six lanes of traffic on Maryland and five of them stopped.”

Novelo sustained minor injuries but had to make costly repairs to his bike.

“I have a limp pinky,” said Novelo. “But I walked away alright.”

Victims like Novelo think incidents like this could be easily avoided with the installation of a bike path along Maryland Parkway and other major streets.

“If there had been a bike lane I would have used it instead of the crosswalk,” Novelo said. “That street [Maryland Parkway] is just ridiculous even for driving.”

Grill believes that Las Vegas needs a touch-up to become bike-friendly. Novelo suggested that people need to become educated about bicycle traffic laws and simply pay attention to pedestrians and bikes.

However, hardcore biking advocates like Novelo do not let things like car accidents and the lack of bike racks take away what they enjoy about biking. Grill hasn’t stopped his daily bike rides.

“They need to do something with Maryland Parkway,” Novelo said. “But, if anything, the accident just made me want to bike more.”