Students Learn to Navigate Roundabouts and Buses

This fall, Stanford Transportation offered a special New Student Orientation Bike Safety 101 Skills Class for students to learn how to ride in a roundabout. Our Marguerite Drivers also joined the effort to reach out and engage with students on bus safety. The workshop encouraged using bike lights, reflective clothing, and being aware of blind spots when drivers can’t see bicyclists riding too close to the bus.

The motto “Safety First” was prominently displayed on their safety vests and is a reminder to slow down, wear a helmet on every ride, and use bike lights when riding after sunset. To be safe, you have to see and be seen. Our 2020 Stanford Transportation Commute Survey reports bike light use for undergrads at 43 percent and 74 percent for graduate students--and we’d like that to be 100 percent for all riders.

Did the training help? Maylyn Co, with Trauma Service at Stanford Health Care and a Licensed Cycling Instructor (LCI) certified by the League of American Bicyclists, says it did. “The training had students, who were on their bikes, experience how to yield, take the lane, and exit the roundabout safely, something all students need to learn and practice.”

In the present and looking to the future—let’s focus on what we can do individually to contribute to a safety culture at Stanford and share our roads and pathways with all road users.

• Follow the rules of the road

• Wear a bike helmet on every ride

• Light up (with bike lights and reflectors)

• Be respectful of all road users

Remember: Our lives depend on it!