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February 07, 2006
No car a big problem
I shivered helplessly. The constant uncertainty of when I would find salvation mocked me. And then I saw the bus. Warm, safe, and a way of getting to the famed Mall of America. Sure, I would have to get off and wait for the light rail. And sure, the temperature was -2 degrees counting wind chill. But I was on a mission, and the hour of transportation was worth it.
However, when it’s not a random mission I’m attempting and instead a necessity, transportation is pretty hard to come by. I’ve had my share of scares thinking that I wouldn’t be able to get where I needed to go. For example, last weekend when I ventured back to Oregon, my state of residence, I nearly panicked when I thought my ride to the airport had forgotten about me. Trapped on campus, my only choice would have been to hope that the bus would somehow get me there in under an hour. Not likely.
So I envy the “elite” at this school, those who are able to drive their cars, park in the parking lots, and leave at a moments notice. Many of my friends and I must instead look to public transportation. We must depart from our dorms, meander across campus, hope that a bus will come soon, figure out where we must transfer, and hope that the few of us that are not directionally challenged will tell us where we need to go.
Maybe in good weather conditions this would be fine. However, I find myself envying schools like Cornell, which have their own light rails or bus routes, allowing instant transportation. Why couldn’t our school invest in an option like that? For those of us who do live on campus and do not own a car, it would change our lives. We would no longer have to be ashamed to ask our friends to drive us to the store. Perhaps we would even be able to leave campus on our own instead of in groups for fear of never coming back.
I’m aware that this problem only affects a select few, the individuals without cars and without patience, but as one of those individuals, I would like to complain. Minnesota is really cold.
Posted by dwright at February 7, 2006 11:58 PM
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