Parking is expensive and inconvenient, and traffic is ridiculous on campus. Across the country, gas prices remain above $2, and Americans get fatter at younger ages. The one obvious solution to all these problems is the bicycle.
Public transit is a popular solution to reduce dependence on oil, but let’s face it, we’re Americans, and part of the average American’s concept of freedom includes being free to come and go whenever he or she wants, without being constrained by a bus schedule.
Bus schedules in Raleigh make it even more difficult. The CAT bus only comes once an hour during the middle of the day, when most students are finishing classes, and is typically 10-20 minutes late. The Wolfline runs frequently during the day, but only periodically after 6 p.m. and has a limited range. Some students have to drive just to get close enough to campus to take the Wolfline. Once they get on the bus, they may not have room to sit down or, for that matter, exhale.
This seems like a small sacrifice to prevent high gas prices and dependence on the Middle East, but we still drive around and create the traffic and the demand that keeps gas prices up.
We have no right to complain unless we change our actions and use more sustainable transportation. If more people ride the CAT bus, it will run more frequently. If we drive fuel-efficient cars, walk or choose housing close to school and work, demand for gasoline will decrease and so will prices.
However, these economic solutions require the efforts of large groups of people. The best way for an individual to save gas money and still maintain the freedom to come and go as he or she pleases is cycling.
The weather in Raleigh usually allows it, and, if it starts raining, you can leave the bike on campus and take the bus. The cost is practically nothing if you’ve kept that bike in your garage since you were 12. Besides, a bike is the fastest way to get around campus.
You can ride it through the Brickyard up to the building where your next class is or pick it up and carry it through a tunnel. You don’t have to stop every 100 feet to let people off or search for a parking spot half a mile from your class. A bike will also take you to places where the Wolfline doesn’t stop. I usually ride mine to the grocery store.
Riding a bike also helps solve this country’s biggest health problem. Over half of Americans are overweight and many are obese. If you already spend 20-30 minutes getting to and from class every day, why not make that 20-30 minutes of exercise too? Biking is relatively painless and never gets repetitive because the surroundings always change. Another benefit is that riding a bike through campus is not competitive, unless you’re bold enough to race traffic, so even the most athletically inadequate can do it without feeling inferior. Besides, pedaling uphill seems inviting compared to sitting in a crowded, stuffy bus.
Cycling may be one of the safer ways to stay active. I have injured myself playing football, racquetball and several other sports ending in “ball” but have never suffered more than a bruise while riding a bike. Busy, dangerous streets, like Western Boulevard, can be avoided by taking access roads and sidewalks, and the speed limits are slow enough around campus that an aware cyclist is usually safe. The only reason not to bike is that it takes effort, but all good things do.
E-mail Brian your favorite bike route at [email protected].