You, TU, can help clear a path

October 14, 2018

There it is on your walk to class or to a meeting or on your way back to your car.

An orange bike, left on a sidewalk somewhere on the Towson University campus.

Perhaps someone thought "this is a safe, convenient spot for the next person to grab this sharable bike for a ride."

Convenient, perhaps, unless it is in your way and there's nothing you can do about it.

This Monday is White Cane Safety Day — a national day of observance in the U.S. for the better part of the last 55 years, dedicated to celebrating the achievements of those who are blind or visually impaired.

And this year, at Towson University, we're hoping that students, faculty and staff will use the day to mark a new effort — clearing sidewalks and walkways for your fellow TU community members.

Leah Cox, Vice President of Inclusion & Institutional Equity, credited Matt Wynd, of the Office of Technology Services, with the idea of dedicating Monday to bike-free sidewalks.

"In honor of White Cane Safety Day, TU encourages you to take a second look at the environment and what may create a mobility obstacle for some individuals," Dr. Cox said. "Little things like making sure bicycles are not left in the middle of walkways or paths on campus can make a huge difference and help to make TU a more inclusive campus."

For thousands each semester, the bike share is a convenient, effective and cost-efficient way to travel around Towson University's campus. But for some of our community at TU, an errant bike placement could provide a major problem.

So, to mark White Cane Safety Day — and for the rest of the semester, for that matter — we're asking that if you encounter a bike in a walkway, please just move it to the side. Whether you placed it there or not, you very well might make someone else's day a lot easier.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: Diverse and Inclusive Campus.