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Alix Carl, a senior from Carterville studying English, crosses Poplar Street on her bicycle Monday, a week after Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation that could punish motorists who crowd bicyclists. The bill allows for up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine for drivers who drive recklessly or unnecessarily close to bikers sharing the road. DIANA SOLIWON DAILY EGYPTIAN
Drivers who crowd bikers could see jail time LAUREN LEONE Daily Egyptian The state recently followed suit in a matter that SIUC has already learned the hard way. Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bicycle safety bill July 5 to increase penalties for drivers who overcrowd bicyclists, but Todd Sigler, director of the SIUC department of public safety, said the university has already made strides to insure bike safety. “We don’t want to see any injuries,� Sigler said. “With our population trying to travel on campus, you’ve got a lot of things coming together in just about any form of transportation.� The bill, which will take effect
January 1, will make it illegal for drivers to crowd or threaten bicyclists by unnecessarily driving too close to a cyclist, according to the Illinois state website. Depending on whether serious injuries occur, it is either a Class A misdemeanor or a Class 4 felony. The misdemeanor is punishable up to one year in prison or a $2,500 fine, putting it on the same scale as a firsttime DUI, Sigler said. In 2001, Anne Coleman, a student in the Dental Hygiene Program, was killed in a crosswalk when a vehicle struck her bicycle on SIUC’s campus. Following the death, the campus speed limit dropped from 25 mph to 20 mph, Sigler said. Police issued 414 more warnings and tickets to motorists caught
speeding in spring 2002 — the spring following Coleman’s death— as compared to spring 2001, according to a Daily Egyptian report. Fines for speeding increased from $15 to $50 in 2002 but have not increased since, Sigler said. Sigler said if a driver had intentionally tried to run into a bicyclist with their car, it was only classified as reckless conduct before. The new law is an addition to the Illinois Vehicle Code, which allows for penalties for violating the law to be attached to one’s drivers license, he said. Sigler said department records show there were five accidents involving bicycles on campus in 2009. Two of the five involved a car, with minor injuries to the bicyclist. In
2008, six of 10 collisions involving bikes also involved a car, Sigler said. In 2007, two of the eight bicycle accidents involved a car, with minor injuries to the bicyclists. SIU has had one car-bike collision this year, with injuries to the cyclist’s hand, knee and elbow. The cyclist declined an ambulance, Sigler said. The consequences of overcrowding bicycles were hit or miss before the bill was signed, said Anne Johnson, vice president of the Carbondale Bicycle Club and board member for the League of Illinois Bicyclists. “A car would do something by accident to a cyclist, but nobody did anything about it most of the time,� she said. Although the law increases pen-
alties for drivers, Johnson said bicyclists should ride responsibly, too. “You need to ride as if you were a car,� she said. “If you’re coming to a sidewalk to cross the street, stop.� The biggest distinction between campus and city regulations is bicyclists are required to walk through the crosswalk on campus, Sigler said. Phillip Kaufman, a senior from Carbondale studying criminal justice, said he didn’t know he had to walk through the crosswalk, but does stop before he rides through it. “I don’t think the rule is really enforced,� he said. Please see BIKE | 2
Student Services Center constructs parking questions RYAN VOYLES Daily Egyptian Plans for the construction of a new student service building have taken a turn, which could turn people to scramble for fewer parking spaces. Kevin Bame, vice chancellor for administration and finance, pre-
sented plans for a new service student center to the Board of Trustees on Thursday, which would be built at the site of the two-story parking garage on Lincoln Drive, next to the Student Center. SIU President Glenn Poshard said construction of the building, which would house departments
such as Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, is vital to appealing to prospective students — as well as making life easier for current students. “There’s no question of how great a need this is,� he said. He said the “the Woody Hall Shuffle� process where students go
around the former dormitory looking for different departments, has been an annoyance since he was at SIU in the 1960s. “That building is so inadequate to meet the needs for our students that it’s not even funny,� Poshard said. The building, which still needs the approval of the BOT before con-
struction starts, will cover 75,000 square feet and cost about $32 million, said university spokesman Rod Sievers. He said it would be paid for through student fees already in place and issue revenue bonds. Please see BUILDING | 3