<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1DipdO_1FdLQm2F00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1DipdO_1FdLQm2F00" width="1200" height="800" ><figcaption>Alyssa Garcia</figcaption></figure>I’ve almost been hit by an electric scooter on the way to class more times than I can count. Thankfully, I’ve never actually been hit, but I’ve come close enough times that I stopped being surprised when I hear the sound of an e-scooter coming too close.Scooters and e-bikes are more prevalent around campus than ever, and the riskiest spots to ride them are clustered around pedestrian spaces that are already cramped with people on foot.UO junior Hannah Kauffman says she’s almost been hit the most near Friendly and Chapman halls, where ongoing construction has forced pedestrians into the road.“I’ve almost been hit … because the bikes are kind of just swerving through the masses of people,” she said.But Kaufman says the danger of these e-vehicles in pedestrian areas wouldn’t be as prevalent if it weren’t for ongoing construction in areas with heavy foot traffic blocking sidewalks.In Kaufman’s experience, the real danger of e-scooters and bikes on campus is concentrated in the areas with the least amount of pedestrian space, where students rushing to and from class may not pay attention to their surroundings.Kaufman pointed to the wide brick pathway by the Rec as proof that bikes, scooters and pedestrians can share space fine when there’s enough of it. The problem shows up where construction compresses everyone into the same few feet, with no separationof sidewalks or paths.According to UO Transportation Services, e-bikes, e-scooters and e-skateboards are only allowed to be ridden along designated bike routes on campus and are not allowed to be stored in any buildings on campus.But access to these bike routes are limited to one website, and are not posted in any easily accessible space on campus. I have witnessed e-scooters and bikes trail off these designated paths more times than I can count, with no repercussions.When construction closes a sidewalk and funnels foot traffic into a bike route without warning, there’s no posted detour telling a scooter rider to slow down or a pedestrian which side to walk on.The city of Eugene is now trying to get ahead of e-vehicle conflicts. On June 4, Eugene police announced they were adding a new category to their online reporting portal specifically for scooter, e-bike and motorcycle complaints, because the volume of complaints from residents had grown alongside the vehicles’ popularity.Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner said that the department plans to use the complaint data to figure out where and when to station officers. Right now, this tool is being used to plan “enforcement and education campaigns” for the future.This is a reasonable plan for the city. But it’s not a response built for a construction zone that changes every few months.Campus paths fall outside city jurisdiction any- way and are controlled by UO’s own transportation services, which means EPD’s new complaint portal — the one tool the city uses to track this exact problem — has no reach over the sidewalks where I keep almost getting clipped.UO needs to implement a standard practice that includes posted signage about possible on-campus detours for students on e-vehicles. Until this happens, students are stuck doing traffic planning in real time, hoping the next scooter swerving through people doesn’t hit them instead.</div></body>

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I’ve almost been hit by an electric scooter on the way to class more times than I can count. Thankfully, I’ve never actually been hit, but I’ve come close enough times that I stopped being surprised when I hear the sound of an e-scooter coming too close.

Ehly: UO needs better detour planning around construction zones

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I’ve almost been hit by an electric scooter on the way to class more times than I can count. Thankfully, I’ve never actually been hit, but I’ve come close 

Ehly: UO needs better detour planning around construction zones

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