By now, every Highlander knows about the signs of the growing scooter epidemic at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). A faint whirring sound. A sudden gust of wind. Then boom! You narrowly escape becoming a campus cautionary tale on the path to the Highlander Union Building (HUB) as a scooter zooms by at approximately the sound of light.
Scooters have officially become the campus apex predator. They lurk near crowded walkways, hunt in packs between classes and show absolutely no fear when approaching crosswalks.
Eye contact is avoided. Accountability from e-scooter riders? Even rarer. One student learned this the hard way after being struck by an e-bike while crossing Canyon Crest, Habit meal in hand, a casualty of a “walk” proving once and for all that a walk signal is merely a suggestion and dinner is never truly safe.
All they wanted was a peaceful lunch, and yet lunch was lost, dignity was shaken and Canyon Crest claimed another victim.
Students report symptoms ranging from mild annoyance to full blown survival instincts. “I just wanted coffee,” said a second-year student, still shaken after the near collision outside Rivera Library. “Instead, I had to leap into a bush.”
So how do we fight back? Experts suggest several solutions, like designated scooter lanes, mandatory bells on scooters or even issuing the poor pedestrians tiny flags to wave when crossing high-risk zones. Others propose a campus-wide truce — walkers on one side, scooters on the other, vibes intact.
Of course, even when rules do exist, like the policy where scooters and bikes are not allowed outside the HUB, many riders simply choose to ignore them and continue to whizz away, treating posted signs less like rules and more like gentle suggestions.
Until then, Highlanders are advised to stay alert, walk defensively and remember that the real obstacle isn’t midterms, it’s making it to class in one piece.
