Commentary by Jason Peek
Here we go again. We’ve arrived at another year of not paying attention.
We had a 72-degree day in February, and the Monon Trail crowd was packed and hyped for their outdoor adventure for the day, which is awesome. The problem, as usual, is that bikers and hikers ignore the stop signs on the trail and ride or walk right in front of your moving vehicle, which will win that matchup every time.
The confusion began when the trail first opened, because in Indiana, we’re always taught that pedestrians have the right-of-way. However, that’s not the case along the Monon. Pedestrians don’t have the right-of-way until they’re in the road.
To be cautious and courteous, I proceed slowly through the trail. More times than I can count, someone darts in front of me and ignores the stop signs, endangering themselves and setting me up to hang out and talk to the ambulance and police about what happened.
I love the trail, but I have no desire to hurt someone because of their own actions. If I ran a stop sign, I would be pulled over and ticketed for that.
I also always look for bikers and skateboarders who come racing down the sidewalk on Main Street, flying by the business doors that people walk out of, not to mention the bikers and skateboarders who pass or ride with traffic on Main Street. Luckily, nobody, to my knowledge, has been run into one of the iron fences by a motorist who didn’t see them. I have witnessed multiple accidents just standing outside Main Street Barber Shop hanging out in the sunshine.
We love our community, so please pay attention to your surroundings.
