There is so much beauty in the world, but we are in such a rush that we pass it by. It seems that most people wish they could get from their dorms to their classes without passing through the intervening space. I used to consider the walk a waste of time that could be made only slightly more productive by calling people. From the looks of it, many students feel that way.

When people walk and talk on the phone, they are not very aware of what is around them. As many driving studies have demonstrated, talking on the phone destroys your situational awareness. This effect does not end when you get out of the car.

This obliviousness to our surroundings is disappointing, especially since Washington University goes to such pains to keep the grounds manicured. Each landscaped flower is carefully arranged and mulched. The newly planted trees hold the promise of becoming large and climbable like the ginkos on the east side of Olin Library. Even the sidewalks are laid out with colorful flagstones lining them. Everything is designed to capture your eye.

With all of this attention to aesthetics, it is surprising that the University has not given much thought to how people are actually getting around campus. For a pedestrian, campus is nice and navigable, with the only glaring error being down in front of Brookings. There, the only direct path from the art school to Whitaker Hall is walking down Hoyt Drive. If you like to walk without worrying about being run over by a car, you must backtrack and go through Brookings Quad.

For bicyclists, getting around campus is awful. Pedestrians clog the sidewalks. Other cyclists are trying to navigate through the torrent of people. All of this means dodging around and going much slower than you would like. For these reasons, most figure that riding to and from class is not worth the effort if one is living on campus.

It is not only inconvenient to have bikes and pedestrians mixing on the sidewalks, but it is also dangerous. Many of us have had the unwelcome experience of a close call. A bike goes whipping by on our right side just as we are turning to the right, or we are biking around a corner just as another bike is rounding it.

It is because of these near accidents that states have relegated bikes to the street. For a center of knowledge, the University can act out of character at times. (For another example, see how dining has changed on the South 40.) A simple yellow line laid down on the sidewalks would be an effective temporary improvement. But consider the aesthetics! That yellow line would not fit in with the planted flowers, the new trees, or the collegiate gothic architecture.

Without ruining the beauty of campus, there must be a way to safely incorporate the growing number of bikes on campus. The best time to lay out paths for pedestrians and bicyclists is the first time, and while that is past for most of the Danforth Campus and the South 40, the new construction should have adequate paths.

Admittedly, the University has bigger fish to fry and will probably never get around to bike paths. So, we pedestrians and bicyclists can make our commute more enjoyable by paying attention to our surroundings. There are many beautiful things in each day that we overlook: from the hue of the sky to the flower growing alongside the path. By actively looking around, we can be safer and find the value in the intervening space between class and home.