When Nick Imperial was biking on Euclid Avenue, he ran a red light and hit a car. In his dazed confusion, he got back onto his bike and kept riding for a few blocks until he realized he broke his collarbone.

Imperial, a senior landscape architecture major at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, said in an email that although this accident was his fault, he has had cars come too close to him while biking along Euclid. But Imperial said he doesn’t feel the need to blame either party.

Imperial signed a petition for marked bike lanes on Euclid that has gained more than 700 signatures. The Euclid Bicycle Safety Committee, a group of Syracuse University and ESF students, faculty and staff concerned about cyclists’ safety created the petition.

“The fact is that the Euclid situation is dangerous, and it’s more productive to redesign the street for the safety of all its users than it is to just hope that bikers and drivers will start riding and driving more responsibly,” he said.

Will Helenbrook, a Ph.D. candidate at ESF, and Melissa Fierke, an ESF associate professor of forest entomology, created the group after discussing their shared experience of having close calls while biking on Euclid.

“Every day, I don’t feel safe,” Fierke said. “I feel like I’m taking my life into my own hands.”

Helenbrook and Fierke also contacted Tina Nabutchi, an assistant professor of public administration and international affairs, to raise awareness at SU. They are now working together to reach 1,500 signatures.

“We thought 1,500 would be enough to demonstrate interest in this,” said Nabutchi.

She said after they obtain the signatures, they will reach out to the city and the universities about the issue.

By presenting the petition, Nabutchi said she hopes it will either be approved or have city officials create a series of public discussions that would look at how to improve transportation on Euclid.

The Bicycle Safety Committee outlined a safety plan with several possible solutions, but Nabutchi said they are open to suggestions.

“It’s up to the community and working with local government, working with SU and ESF to see which options are the best for increasing safety at a reasonable cost,” she said.

Steve Morris, the co-owner of Mello Velo Bicycle Shop who signed the petition, said he thinks there should not be any parking on Euclid.

“I think that would solve the problem,” he said. “It’s wide enough for bike lanes in both directions. It’s not wide enough for parking and bike lanes and traffic.”

Calling it “a serious problem,” Morris said accidents and near-misses happen all the time. He said a girl who works in the bike shop’s café got hit by a car while biking on Euclid recently. A few days later, her roommate was hit by a car in the same spot.

“There’s always people coming in here with bikes that are bent to pieces and like ‘Oh yeah, I got hit by a car,’” Morris said. “It’s just a real constant issue.”

Published on November 6, 2013 at 12:54 am

Contact Ellen: ekmeyers@syr.edu | @ellenkmeyers