Face-off: Biking versus walking

Since coming on campus, I've gone back and forth about the benefits of walking versus biking. As someone who lives in the Kittredge complex, classes aren't exactly right outside my backdoor. The first few weeks of school, I was all about biking absolutely everywhere. Why walk, I figured, when you could easily ride? But biking brings its own problems...

First there's the fact that campus is on a hill. It's gradual, to be sure, but definitely noticeable when going to class at 8AM. Of course, on the flip-side, riding home is a lot of coasting, but in those first few weeks, I was arriving a lot of places sweaty and slightly winded. Wonderful, I know.

Then there's the people. There's definitely an art to riding through crowds, and within a few days, I was already better at the slow, only-pedal-enough-to-stay-upright type movement. It's difficult to say if a bike bell would help with this. Saying "on your right" isn't failproof either - I've found that many people freeze or even move the wrong way when you say this!

For me, one of the final straws was falling off my bike. This may sound wimpy, but when I hit the pavement and slightly messed up my knee, I got a lot less confident in the benefit of having a pair of wheels to get around. This isn't to say I wouldn't do it anymore, but I learned the dangers and the need for an insane amount of care when riding around campus.

Let me just say, to anyone who does ride regularly, please don't let your guard down. You are as responsible for riding carefully around pedestrians as they are, and who wants to deal with an injury in the first few months of campus? I've already heard of several other bike-related accidents (nothing too serious), but let's just say it's embarrassing and painful and something worth avoiding.

But the final nail in the coffin of my bike riding habit was getting sick. Somehow when you're struggling to breathe simply sitting on the couch, pedaling around doesn't sound so great. I rode my bike one day after being sick (and it happened to be a very cold day), and somehow I didn't find it enjoyable anymore - I found it more work than it was worth.

So for about two weeks now, I've been walking everywhere. I've got my set paths, I think I know what time to leave to get to class (although I've cut it close AND been insanely early several times, so I still need to work on the routine). Most importantly, though, I've found that I really enjoy it! I like the time to myself, the slowness of the movement, the simple moments to enjoy the breeze. I'm currently listening to an audiobook of comedian Craig Ferguson's autobiography (read by the author himself) and... it's proven to be a good time all around.

I'm curious, college students (or people who remember college well enough :D) - How do/did you get around? Bike? Car? Bus? Walking?

I'm not sure what I'll do when winter hits and it's cold, snowy, and icy, but for now, I'm happy walking the walk.

Cheers :)

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