Junior Landers Ngirchemat used to bike regularly to school until an accident halted him. “I chose not bike after I got hit by a car,” he says. “I was at a 4-way stop, and I thought a car wasn’t going to be nearby, so I crossed to the other side only to have a car come through and knock me over. I didn’t get hurt that badly, but I got some bruises on my leg. I want to keep cycling but my mom got worried and said I shouldn’t, so my mom just drops me off everyday.”
Though biking finds popularity in urban and flat suburban areas, biking is not a widespread trend at Araon. For one reason, the danger of collisions deters Dons from choosing to bike to school.
History teacher Jim Smith gives a variety of reasons for favoring cycling as a form of transportation. He says, “I’ve always liked biking, and I’ve never liked cars or getting in traffic. It’s great for the environment, and I support alternative transportation.”
Smith bikes nearly 10 to 15 miles each day, including parts of his commute from Palo Alto to Aragon.
Smith also suffered an accident like Ngirchemat. Smith says, “I’ve been doored, which is when you’re biking and a person opens a door and slams into you. I’ve been hit by people backing into their driveways, chipped by passing vehicles and knocked off my bike. One time I fell off my bike, and had to get a plate in my eye.”
Junior Ryan Swan does not bike as frequently as Ngirchemat but he recognizes the importance of safety, and says, “Safety’s a big concern when biking, and I don’t want to hurt anybody biking or get hurt while biking. Of course, accidents happen, but that’s why you wear a helmet.”
On the benefits of biking, Ngirchemat says, “Biking’s fun. It’s good exercise, helps maintain my weight and I can go where I want on my own time. I don’t have to rely on people if I bike.”
With reference to health benefits, Smith says, “[Cycling] is good cardiovascular exercise, it develops the leg muscles, and it’s not sedentary—you get action out of it.”
Regarding the biking community at Aragon, Ngirchemat says, “[Biking] is not that big at Aragon, not that many people I know bike, and the ones I do, I don’t know that well.”
Smith adds, “[Students] don’t want to bike because there’s never been a big transition from cars to bikes. There’s a lot of hills and it’s not very safe to bike around here.”
Ngirchemat identifies issues with the bike racks at Aragon, “When I used to bike, I had to put my bike on the railing near the field,” he says. “The places to lock your bikes are too far from where I get to school. You have to walk all the way up the hill with your bike, so I just put it near the field. If the bike racks were closer, it’d be much more convenient, and I wouldn’t be late to class putting my bike away.”
Smith says, “The bike rack problem is symptomatic of the lack of bikers at Aragon. If there were more cyclists, we would have more bike racks, and they’d be closer to certain areas.”
Although bikers may not be prevalent in Aragon, their unique stories express a genuine interest in the hobby. Hills and the potential for danger may deter some students, but the few cyclists at Aragon view biking as beneficial to overall well-being as well as being environmentally wise.
