It's a beautiful day to be a pedestrian on campus at Indiana University. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you're surrounded by thousands of other students walking, sometimes very slowly, to class. Clearly remaining a pedestrian is not the best way to get around campus. In the polarizing topic of bikes versus skateboards, it is simple to understand why biking is the superior mode of transportation. Firstly, bikers can use roads. Most roads on campus even have a bike lane available, so bikers are neither slowing down vehicle traffic, nor crashing into pedestrians on the sidewalk. For contrast, skateboarders do not belong on the road, or on the sidewalk. Both cars and pedestrians are irritated when a skateboarder doesn't follow
the rules of the road or weaving in and out through the mobs of people on the sidewalk. Second, there are countless places to lock up your bike everywhere on campus. Every building has a bike rack, ensuring the safety of your sole mode of transport. After class you simply unlock your bike, and you are ready to go. Skateboarding to class is nowhere near as convinient as biking. There are no designated spots for storing skateboards, so you are forced to either leave it unprotectd, or carry the skateboard with you. Lastly, the ease of riding a bike is unparalleled. The IU campus is full of beautiful hills, which are an absolute pain to walk up. Luckily, biking up the hills is much easier. You may have to switch gears, or stand up, but you will be able to get up the hill faster than a pedestrian. Skateboarders on the other hand, become pedestrians when going up hills. They simply cannot make it up the hills by skateboarding. Hopefully it is clear now, that while pedestrians are the majority here at IU, it is not the best option. Biking is undeniably the most efficient way to get around campus.
As skateboarding evolved, it was once something kids do in their free time, later became a prospering sport. This started many new changes to our local cities. “No skateboarding” signs are being posted places that skateboarders would go to practice. Architects are finding new ways to redesign structures like benches and handrails in the city, in order to lower the abundance of skateboarder in an area. All these changes have resulted in a good amount of money spent redoing everything to prevent skateboarding, but nothing is being done to give skateboarders a safe place to skate. For young teens whose only transportation is a skateboard, they can only travel so far, and skateparks are not close enough. To eliminate the amount of skateboarders in heavily populated areas, I propose that cities invest more money into building skateparks so skateboarders have a safe place to practice the sport.
Parking on campus needs improving. Students entering the university are allowed to have a car on campus. With every new freshmen class entering parking posses a problem on campus. The campus is already limited in its parking on campus and since freshmen are allowed to have cars, the students before them are faced with the dilemma of how many new freshmen will be bringing a car to school.
Parker, Kathryn M., Jeanette Gustat, and Janet C. Rice. "Installation Of Bicycle Lanes And Increased Ridership In An Urban, Mixed-Income Setting In New Orleans, Louisiana." Journal Of Physical Activity & Health 8.(2011): S98-S102
This work takes a closer at the relation between bike paths and the studied area in Amchit. It will aim to accomplish specific goals by studying the area in different ways giving an in depth look at the city and the bike. This work has an ob...
Despite these uncertainties, the automobile, in this case in the United States, is becoming more and more the principal means of transportation for the masses. The days of the trolley, and other means of public transportation have long since passed, and the automobile has been intertwined into the American lifestyle. This domination has also, in fact, spread across the border toward Canada, and across the sea to most of Western Europe. Despite a faint resurgence of public transportation, such as buses and trains, the automobile is still the primary mode of personal transportation in the United States.
The simple layout of a place can make a big difference in the quality of life of a person. In order to fully understand the significance of sidewalks and their importance to the city and people, there must be a clear definition on what type of interactions sidewalks promote. For instance, according to Jan Ghel the “physical environment is one of the factors that influences the activities to a varying degree… outdoor activities, and a number of the physical conditions that influence them” (Ghel, 610). If all the conditions are met than the results are evident when a good environment is seen. Having a good environment can alter the broad spectrum of human activity. A good environment can lead to social activities which depend on the presence of others in public spaces. Ghel states that social activities include greetings and conversations between people, communal activities, and passive
Peterson (1975) suggested that those students involved in activities on campus “are better off financially, educationally and in other ways to begin with. Then, largely because of their greater involvement in various educational and developmental activities, they make significantly greater gains, particularly in non-academic personal development” (p2). Understanding group differences between the commuters and non-commuters is critical, as the commuter population nationwide continues to increase and universities are forced to compete for the patronage of these commuter students: (Newbold, Metha, & Forbus, 2011, p. 142)
It is home to over 380 officially recognized universities that would be require some form of transportation service to get around on campus or commuting to the cities (Study in Germany, 2016). Zipcar continues to be the leading choice for universities looking for a convenient and sustainable transportation option that gives students affordable wheels when they want them (Zipcar, 2014). Car sharing is an effective option for campuses looking to reduce parking demand and congestion, as well as the carbon footprint of transportation and parking infrastructure. Studies have shown a single Zipcar can replace up to 15 personally owned vehicles, while also increasing the use of public transit, walking and biking (Zipcar, 2014). By operating Zipcar near the universities car sharing increases transportation options and allows freedom for those students who are least likely to purchase and own a car. The universities have many students from around the world and introducing the car sharing of Zipcar it will assist students from overspending on items like the rising prices of fuel and the high costs of vehicle taxes. It is the target audience of, targeting car users, and campus universities (Zipcar, 2013). It benefits the universities by reducing the demand for on campus parking and cutting down on traffic volumes. Zipcar will make campuses a safer and healthier place for
In 1817, the bicycle was introduced. It was clumsy, heavy, and dangerous. Throughout the last two centuries, modifications have made the bicycle easier to ride with inventions such as brakes, softer tires, and better maneuverability. The development of the modern day bicycle has led to increased environmental awareness, increased women’s civil rights, and permanently altered the public’s views on mass transportation.
Secondly, using a bicycle is convenient, cheap, produces no carbon emissions and can access to more places that are not possible with automobiles, as directly highlighted by Midgley (2011). As such, this meets the criteria of affordability, eco-friendliness and large coverage area.
The non-motorized transportation sustains the social harmonization and inclusion, alleviates discrepancies and inequities (between driver/passenger, expensive/cheap car owner, and passenger/pedestrian), and facilitates mobility of social disadvantaged individuals and personal interaction of peoples in a stronger way than motorized transportation. It can be sum up the results of different studies related to health effects of walking and cycling, including them in economic analysis of transport infrastructures development
One central idea that has become very clear is that meeting one’s daily needs on foot in a neighborhood is made much more convenient and more likely when many-to destinations are clustered close together (Figure 2-9) [15]. According to Newman and Kenworthy a pedestrian catchment area or “Ped shed”, based on a 10 minute walk, creates an area of approximately 2.2-5.5 km2 (walking distance is about 800m – 1300m from the center to the edge) for walking speeds of 5-8
Street crossings: Walking isn’t convenient unless it is safe and easy to cross the streets. Shortening the crossing distance and slowing the approaching traffic are the two most important ways to ensure this. The location of crossing areas must also be considered, and, of course, curbs must be accessible to people of all abilities.
The activity of bike riding has become more common as a use of transportation, most individuals are in favor of bikes becoming a primary source for travel; however, there are some individuals who disagree with bicycles being the new way of transporting from place to place. In a statement supporting the argument of pro-bike riding, the President of the League of American Bicyclists, Andy Clarke, mentions that “there are so many reasons more people are riding, from improving their health to protecting the environment,” she also adds “especially in tough economic times, bicycling can also be an economic catalyst, keeping billions of dollars in the pockets of American families.” In addition, more than 80 percent of Americans support maintaining or increasing federal funding for biking, which makes it seem as if Ms. Clarke’s opinion on the topic is in agreement with the majority of the nation. On the contrary, some people may argue that bikes do have negative impacts on the environment, particularly those associated with their production and disposal. In my opinion, bike riding is a healthy, economically-efficient, and environmentally beneficial mode of transportation.
Bicycle has been used as an important mode of non-motorized transportation to enhance the transportation sustainability, and reduce air and noise pollution, as well as, a reduction in traffic congestion compared. Moreover, the use of bicycle also contributes to slow down the climate change and improved health, according to Human Factors/Ergonomics (HF/E) professionals (1). In recent years, increasing population densities and social sentiments toward sustainability as the main driving forces has raised a strong push towards advancing cycling. An increasing number of individuals consider this transportation alternative, but many are deterred when faced with the challenges of mobility and comfort. In other words, the numerous benefits of using bicycle, does not diminish the fact that a large amount of vehicles in urban networks are causing concerns about the safety and comfort of cycling. Therefore, one of