I live a good four or five miles away from school, so when I choose to ride my bicycle to class, I am forced to ride on some pretty busy roads. Of course, I’ve tried to avoid them, going through the arboretum and the dreaded JMU campus instead of Port Republic. But ultimately I’ll end up on a busy street or two– there’s really no way to avoid it completely. The last street I ride on is South High Street, which goes past Mr. J’s and Taste of Thai.

For a small section there is a bike lane, but for the very large majority of my time spent riding on that South High Street I have no choice but to ride in the same lanes as the many cars driving at 40 miles per hour. The feeling of riding a small, very bendable bicycle while cars speed past, barely missing your fragile self,  is a quite frightening experience, especially when massive chicken trucks are involved. I always try not to think about it too much, but the thought of me becoming roadkill is a bit unsettling.

Near the end of my adventure on South High Street, a beautiful, beautiful bike lane appears. Although not all of my fears vanish, it sure is nice to have my own little space. But just as my heartbeat begins to slow, I turn on to Erickson Avenue. This is the part that really bothers me. About 20 or so feet after I enter Erickson, my beautiful bike lane ends. The only entrance to Harrisonburg High School on my side of town doesn’t have a bike lane. That means I have to ride my bike in the same lane as hundreds of inexperienced high school drivers rushing to class, parents late for work, and gigantic yellow school buses. Mind you there is only one lane and no shoulder whatsoever.

This goes on even when I turn on to Garbers Church Road– all the way until I get to the doors of the school. All that time, every second I pedal, I could be smashed by an oncoming vehicle. And to think schools try their best to be safe.

In a time when riding your bicycle should be encouraged, when carbon emissions and obesity both are at an all time high, you would think the community would be doing everything they could to keep us bicyclists safe. Our city government is spending millions on brand new roads and a brand new jail, so why can’t they spend a little money on creating a safer way for high schoolers to travel to class by bike? All it really takes is some cement and some spray paint. It could prevent someone, whether it be a high school student, a child or an adult, from being seriously injured or even killed– for a human life should not be splattered on the asphalt like roadkill just to save a few bucks.