2008 Woodie Awards
Staff Editorial
Stop wasting gas and walk to class
byIssue date: 8/18/08 Section: Opinion
Lack of parking, high gas prices and the beautiful weather Georgia is experiencing are all reasons to walk to class. However, it seems that not even high gas prices can keep Piedmont College students from driving to class or to the cafeteria three times a day.
People are still waking up early to drive in order to get a parking space next to the park. That way, when class is over, they can drive back to their dorm rooms.
Walking from Purcell Hall or Mayflower to main campus takes all of 10 minutes, yet students have to leave 20 minutes early just to get a parking spot close to their classrooms. If students take a bike, it might take 5 minutes or less.
If a car uses 22 miles per gallon and a student drives to class every day and to the cafeteria at least twice a day, that's about three miles a day from Mayflower.
It takes three-fourths miles to get from Purcell to the G-B parking lot. So, at least 18 miles a week are used driving to class and to the cafeteria.
With the way gas prices are, that's almost $3.75 a week on gas just to go to class and eat.
That may not seem like much, but it adds up. At the end of the semester, if students stick to the same routine, they will have spent almost $68 on gas. That's food money, six new CD's or a new video game.
This money doesn't include the price of circling to find a parking spot or the cost it takes to get back to your room when there's no parking available.
There have been many occasions when students have said, "I wish we had a bussing system" or something to that extent.
If you hold a map of Piedmont next to a map of the University of Georgia, Piedmont is only a fraction of the size of UGA.
Yes, UGA has a transit system to get students from class to class. In order to make it to class, they don't have much of a choice unless they want to leave 30 minutes early to walk to class everyday.
No, Piedmont doesn't have a transit system, but we don't need one either. That would be pointless for the campus.
Riding the bus would take more time to get to class than walking.
Is waking up 20 minutes early just to get a parking spot early really worth the trip and money? Save the spots for the commuters that are driving in from their homes because walking isn't really an option, like it is for resident students.
People are still waking up early to drive in order to get a parking space next to the park. That way, when class is over, they can drive back to their dorm rooms.
Walking from Purcell Hall or Mayflower to main campus takes all of 10 minutes, yet students have to leave 20 minutes early just to get a parking spot close to their classrooms. If students take a bike, it might take 5 minutes or less.
If a car uses 22 miles per gallon and a student drives to class every day and to the cafeteria at least twice a day, that's about three miles a day from Mayflower.
It takes three-fourths miles to get from Purcell to the G-B parking lot. So, at least 18 miles a week are used driving to class and to the cafeteria.
With the way gas prices are, that's almost $3.75 a week on gas just to go to class and eat.
That may not seem like much, but it adds up. At the end of the semester, if students stick to the same routine, they will have spent almost $68 on gas. That's food money, six new CD's or a new video game.
This money doesn't include the price of circling to find a parking spot or the cost it takes to get back to your room when there's no parking available.
There have been many occasions when students have said, "I wish we had a bussing system" or something to that extent.
If you hold a map of Piedmont next to a map of the University of Georgia, Piedmont is only a fraction of the size of UGA.
Yes, UGA has a transit system to get students from class to class. In order to make it to class, they don't have much of a choice unless they want to leave 30 minutes early to walk to class everyday.
No, Piedmont doesn't have a transit system, but we don't need one either. That would be pointless for the campus.
Riding the bus would take more time to get to class than walking.
Is waking up 20 minutes early just to get a parking spot early really worth the trip and money? Save the spots for the commuters that are driving in from their homes because walking isn't really an option, like it is for resident students.
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