'A valuable campus commodity': A plea to be nice to the bikes

I believe the students at UR are familiar with the bikes I refer to. You know, the yellow ones, average in size, mediocre in steering, yet effective in getting people where they want to go. Are they still not familiar? This is my point exactly.

Since my first day on campus I have noticed a dwindling number of campus bikes available for use. Now maybe my eyes deceive me, but I am fairly certain that there used to be many more bikes than are present now. These bikes are extremely convenient in helping students cross the campus. A normal 10-minute walk from North Court to the gym becomes a quick five-minute breeze across campus. Why would any sane person want to destroy the bike?

Before I answer that question, you need to understand the absurdity of the situation. I have seen some crazy bikes and I honestly have no clue how they ended up that way. Seriously U of R, I saw a bike tire wrapped around the bike with the bike chain holding it all together. Another bike had a flat tire and appeared to have been driven straight into the lake. I cannot fathom what led people to ruin a perfectly good bike.

There are a few reasons I came up with as to why this occurs on campus. My first conclusion is the logical conclusion. The handler probably lost control of the bike, was going too fast or simply had his or her chain break. As a result, the bike got wrecked for one reason or another. I cannot say I blame people for wanting to go fast because I am guilty as charged. However, please take caution when going this fast, as it may lead to unforeseen consequences.

Another reason I settled on, albeit a less likely cause, is that people simply thought it would be funny to total a bike. A quick laugh here and no one is worse for the wear. I have heard stories, not saying they are true, that bikes have been intentionally chucked in the lake. If this is valid, all I have to say is, why? The bikes provide a great means of transportation at no expense. You do not need a parking permit or bike registration, just a quick jog down to the nearest bike.

I feel the need to point out the importance of the bikes in providing a reasonable transportation to students. There should be no reason to intentionally bring harm to such a valuable campus commodity.

Let us all be reasonable in regards to this matter. It is not that much to ask not to completely destroy a bike within the span of one use. Furthermore, if you see a bike with a simple problem, such as a dislocated chain, please make an attempt to fix it. The university bikes are here to help us, so why not further our own cause and keep the bikes intact.