Bicycles swarm the Ohio State campus every day, but do you blame them? Biking to class is not only faster than walking or taking the bus, it is also a better way to burn off that breakfast sandwich from Fresh Express.

And do you blame cyclists from trying to stay off of High Street? According to The Columbus Dispatch, Franklin County ranked the highest in the state for drunk-driving arrests in 2009. Three-thousand eighty arrests through Nov. 30, 2009, to be exact. Franklin County includes the University District and campus residence halls, and High Street runs through it. It should not be a big surprise that cyclists want to refrain from biking on High Street, with the higher possibility of having to deal with drunk drivers.

Being a “cyclist” myself, and having biked on High Street only a few days ago, I can say it is no positive experience. Sure, one can say there is a bike lane on High Street, but it is merely sharing the right lane with cars. The entire time I rode my bike, I found a trail of cars behind me, all driven by people who looked less than satisfied. Not to mention, when I signaled that I would be switching lanes to turn left, I received some honking and angered remarks. It seems in bikers’ best interest and safety to stick to the sidewalk.

In regard to OSU Police Capt. Eric Whiteside’s remark about the Oval’s paths being “technically” off-limits (The Lantern, “Are OSU bicyclists abiding by the law,” Oct. 5), where do you propose bikers drive to get to their classes? Take the streets? That would completely negate the reason of choosing to ride a bike to class in the first place: making it faster to get to class.

Another problem with his statement is that bike racks and posts are placed next to the buildings on the Oval and near residence halls. Why would they put those posts and racks there if it is “off-limits” to bike on those pathways? Living in Drackett Tower myself, the posts for Drackett are in the front of the building. Are you really expecting me to walk my bike from Woodruff Avenue to Drackett (or even drive on Curl Drive all the way to the back of Drackett)?

I do propose a solution, however. If Franklin County were to add a bike lane (an actual bike lane, not sharing a car lane) to High Street, then bikers would be more likely to drive in the street than the sidewalk. The same goes for campus. If OSU built bike paths through the Oval and other places through campus, bikers would no longer drive on the paths.

But because OSU has better things to do with the money that it has received from our raised tuition (like financing the new Union, putting an ice cream cone statue in front of Mirror Lake Café and renovating residence halls on South Campus), it does not seem like these new pathways will be built. Until these bike lanes are paved, stop complaining — maybe pay attention when walking to class — and as always, listen for, “On your left!”