I’ve been having a lot of car trouble lately, and it’s reminded me of how much I loved accessible public transport. Even though Bowling Green is place where you pretty much need to have a car, here are nine reasons you should try to get around without one.
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Cars are extremely bad for the environment.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency the average car releases 404 grams of CO2 for every mile you drive. Not driving would drive your carbon footprint way down.
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Biking is good exercise.
Riding a bike is objectively better for you than sitting while driving a car. Getting 30 minutes of exercise every day would be easy if you ride your bike instead of drive.
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Walking is good exercise.
Like biking, walking around will be better for you than driving around. If you make exercise part of your daily routine, it’ll be easy.
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The shuttles are pretty nice now.
BGSU bought new shuttles this year after the outsourcing, and the seats are nice, and they shuttles are already warm inside when you walk in. They’re also free, unlike your car.
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During rush hour, it might be faster not to use a car.
BGSU gets busy during the days and rush hour, and you have to sit in a lot of traffic at stop signs and lights. You won’t get stuck walking or riding a bike.
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Parking on campus is a nightmare.
Everyone loves to complain about parking on campus: how there are not spots and all the spots are far away. If you didn’t drive a car, parking wouldn’t be an issue.
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Downtown parking prices are going up.
City council is raising parking prices from 25 cents an hour to 50 cents an hour, and while that may not seem like a lot, walking or biking is free.
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Cars are super expensive.
Speaking of the cost of cars, maintaining your car, paying insurance and buying gas all add up very, very quickly. None of those costs would be an issue if you did not drive.
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Not using cars will convince others not to use cars.
When you stop using your car so much and base your life successfully around other modes of transport, it can encourage others to do the same. Then, there could be more bike lanes, regulations making biking safer and shuttles with more stops. That way, we can all use better, safer and greener modes of transport.
