I've learned a few things in my 20 years.
My friends know that I have the mentality of an old lady. Give me a pair of slippers and a season of "Parks and Recreation" over going clubbing any night of the week.
So, I'd just like to give you this pearl of wisdom: When it comes to friends, you can never have too many.
I'm not talking about your number of Facebook friends or how many followers you have on Twitter (but feel free to add me on both of those sites). You just never know when you'll need someone to joke around with or someone to whom you can vent out your frustrations.
Let's see if we can be BFFs, readers. Here is a quiz about common pedestrian challenges we all face on campus. It's just a quick, super painless quiz. Here we go!
Question 1: On the UF campus, where do you feel bikes belong?
Answer: In the bike lane
How many times have I been casually, or briskly, walking to class when all of a sudden a biker rushes by me on the sidewalk? It doesn't matter if they toot their little bike horn or yell something. There are specific lanes made especially for bikes. Can you please, please, please use them?
Question 2: When is an appropriate time to text?
Answer: Not in your car
If you are driving a car, a phone better not be in your hand. This is a predominantly pedestrian campus, in case you haven't noticed. That means when students are walking around, they expect the people in cars to act responsibly. Your license means that you have been trusted to drive safely. Be alert, and pay attention to your surroundings. You can't do that if you're too busy exercising your thumbs.
Question 3: Do you own the sidewalk?
Answer: No.
Walking with friends can be great. Try not to walk three-wide; if it is a busy sidewalk or if you see other people walking toward you, it's time to condense into a single-file line. No one died and made you ruler of the walkway, so suck up your pride and scoot over. Sometimes, people don't move in time. If that happens, and elbows get bumped, do apologize.
Question 4: Can you share the road?
Answer: Yes.
Pedestrians might have to trust drivers an awful lot, but drivers have to be able to trust us, too. Don't dart willy-nilly into traffic; that's how accidents are caused. At the same time, don't charge at a busy crosswalk. You can clearly see if there's a lot of people, so there's no need to bum rush them with your car.
Question 5: Are people on scooters a lot cooler than the rest of us?
Answer: Nope, they are not.
Scooters are pretty cute and zippy, don't get me wrong. But just because you can pull out really noisily in front of me on the road doesn't mean you should. There are a lot of different modes of transportation around these parts, so just be wary of all of them.
There. That wasn't so bad, right? How did you score?
These are just a few of my pet peeves when I'm out and about on campus. The best friendships are born out of similar tastes. I enjoy yelling about things that make me happy and things that make me mad. It's pretty fun and rewarding to find people who will yell with you.
In all seriousness, pedestrian safety is something that needs to be addressed on this campus. With so many people constantly around, it's important that we all do our best to be aware of one another.
Take an extra second to look before you cross the street. Smile and say sorry if you run into someone. Try giving the right-of-way instead of just taking it.
We could all use a lesson in transportation courtesy.
Sami Main is a journalism junior at UF. Her column appears on Tuesdays.
