Ban Cars, Ride Bicycles
Jeremy Hubble
The Battalion
Despite constant dieting, the American public continues to get fatter. Our
physical
condition is despicable. The environment is being destroyed by
pollution. And, to top it
off, nobody can find a parking place on
campus.
There is one simple solution.
Ban cars.
What started out as a great innovation has now transformed itself into a
nightmare,
and excuse for laziness. People jump in the car and drive 50
feet for a pack of gum.
And we wonder why we're gaining
weight.
Take care of a few problems and College Station will be
the perfect town bike town.
We already have a bike lanes, sidewalks, and
public transportation to facilitate car-
free transportation.
Unfortunately, step on campus and this great planning gives way to a
general mayhem.
Drivers just can't seem to understand the meaning
of "Bicycles only." Bike lanes are
often invaded for passenger drop off,
free parking and emergency passing. With cars
clogging up the bicycle
lanes, bicyclists are forced to the sidewalks, creating a chaotic
turmoil
as they try to dodge pedestrians.
Even after having their lane
stolen, biking still remains the fastest way to get to class.
Driving, it
takes 5 minutes to get to campus, then up to an hour more navigating
campus traffic, searching for a parking place and walking to class.
A biker simply whizzes by the traffic, arriving directly to class in
10 to 20 minutes. In the driver's best case scenario, he might arrive
right before the cyclist. In the worst case scenario, he'd arrive just in
time to here the professor announce the next day's
assignment.
The biggest facing bicyclists is bad weather. Riding a bike suddenly gets
a lot harder
when freezing rain is pouring down. A&M tried to provide an
option by providing commuter bus service. Unfortunately, with slow
service, long stops and campus traffic, you can just about make it to
campus faster walking. And don't even try to pay the bus fair on the
spot.
Now, it's either plead a ride or have fun in the cold.
Luckily cold weather is not a
common occurrence in College Station. In
the future, hopefully we'll can see a bike
accessories such as a
lightweight plastic roof, a CD player and a solar generator.
Texas Avenue also poses a minor inconvenience. Let's try reversing it.
Instead of
banning bicycles, ban cars. Suddenly people will think twice
before revving up the
engine.
With advancements in alternative
transportation, cars can be eliminated along with a
host of other social
problems.
Obesity would be curbed and physical condition would
improve as people propel
themselves. Even leisure time would increase as
people combine transportation and
exercise in one.
Crime would
take a nose dive. There'd be no DWIs. An inebriated roller-blader will
fall
on his face before causing death. Increased physical activity also
contributes to
increased emotional stability and less propensity to
crime.
Without cars' heavy load, highway maintenance costs will
be reduced, cutting the
government debt. Personal financial conditions
will improve as money once spent on
car loans can now be freely spent.
The world would be a better place to live.
And it all starts
with riding our bikes to school
January 28, 1996