[Nat sound of people walking on Sheridan]
One of the most important parts of college life is actually making it to class. With bike paths, sidewalks, and roads all throughout Evanston, students have multiple options for transportation. But are some better than others?
ADRIAN AYALA-PEREZ: I lived in Willard my freshman and sophomore year, so it was kind of far west from everything. So if I was going south, walking was fine, but if I wanted to go north, it was quite annoying to walk to and from any building on North Campus.
That’s Adrian Ayala-Perez, a SESP junior who says he has experienced each form of transportation available on campus over his three years at Northwestern.
AYALA-PEREZ: I mainly skate alongside walking, and the pro with that’s like, it’s like biking—it can get to where you want to be a lot quicker than walking, but it’s a lot more annoying than biking. There’s a lot of holes on campus and in the Evanson area. So with the skateboard, I only use it when I know I’m going to be on a road rather than on a sidewalk, because it’s just so annoying to ride on a sidewalk.
Meanwhile, School of Comms junior Rachel Ramirez recently started biking and is starting to see the benefits of not relying too heavily on public transportation.
RACHEL RAMIREZ: Now that I’ve gotten a bike, it’s easier to get around. I would just say if you’re mainly walking, it can be a hassle waiting for bus schedules. Sometimes they don’t align, so that can be annoying. So yeah, a bike or a car is definitely the best case scenario.
Students seem to value getting places fast and on their own schedules, but what about parking? Before he started skating, Ayala-Perez biked to class. He had to leave his bike unattended for many hours during class, though, leading to it getting stolen.
AYALA-PEREZ: It got me where I wanted to be very quickly. And so I really enjoyed it, and I also like the sensation of biking—I grew up biking. But my bike got stolen, so I ended up not buying another bike.
Still, Ayala-Perez sees biking as the best overall option for Northwestern students, perhaps including a strong bike lock. He said he uses a skateboard to save money and give himself peace of mind. But what about cars on campus? Weinberg junior Ann Slivken says, despite the hype, they aren’t that great.
ANN SLIVKEN: Parking on campus is like, is very weird. I know like at least like, Sarge and some of those other lots are fine on weekends, but during the school day, you can park for like two hours, and I’m on campus for more than two hours.
On top of parking problems, could there be strange social dynamics? Ramirez and her roommates often borrow a car from one of their friends, which is sometimes a point of contention.
RAMIREZ: There’s a lot of times when we have appointments or things like that where we need to use the car, and we just ask him for that as a favor. If he doesn’t really want to let us borrow it, maybe he can be uncomfortable in that situation.
Driving is certainly a fast way to get around, but it might bring with it more baggage than students bargained for, and Northwestern’s campus is not very accommodating of drivers.
AYALA-PEREZ: For academic purposes like going to class, I don’t think it’s as effective as people make it out to be. If you want to go to Norris or something, you’re still going to have to walk anyways. So, you’re not saving as much time as you think you would be saving. I think a happy medium is biking. Biking, you can go at your own pace. So if there’s any sort of discomfort, if it’s like a hot day, you can get where you want faster.
Each form of transportation has pros and cons, some more than others. Biking seems to be the most universally accepted choice, but requires maintenance and vigilance during the colder, icier months. Whether you choose to walk, bike, drive, or fly to class, the most important thing is to pick a method that works best for you specifically.
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For WNUR News, I’m William Kramer.
