2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Opinions
Cars aren't necessary for travel at Truman with bicycle options
You have to ask yourself: Do you really need a car in Kirksville? Although it's reasonable to assume that a car is the most convenient way to go to and from Kirksville, it's unreasonable to assume that a car is the best way to travel around the city. Kirksville is less than 10 square miles, which seems to make automobile use a luxury, an indulgence and even a bit absurd.
The University, however, has chosen to make automobile use completely acceptable - and even fairly easy - with huge parking lots and its parking tag system. There is even another parking lot planned for the space near Barnett Hall. This open space is one of Truman's assets, and soon it will be another unnecessary parking lot on a university that already has plenty of parking. I can't imagine that there's any reasonable motive for building this parking lot - Truman students are active, able people who are intelligent enough to factor in the brief amount of extra time it takes to travel by foot or bike.
We even have a motivated, well-funded, highly-active bike co-op on campus - the perfect antidote to the automobile addiction plaguing Truman. Do you really need to drive to classes? Ask yourself that before you get in the car. Do we really want another parking lot so we can just keep driving our cars senselessly? Truman should be a place where a sustainable, reasonable culture is created - not a place where the excessive, overwhelmingly unsustainable habits of the larger world are perpetuated.
Luke Gardner
Junior
Kirksville Highway 63 bypass presents one-time opportunity
The Highway 63 Corporation has been working with officials from the Iowa transportation community for several years to improve Highway 63 between Missouri and Iowa. Our aim is to eventually develop the "Avenue of the Capitals" between Jefferson City and Des Moines. The highway also would connect Interstate 70 and Interstate 80.
You have to ask yourself: Do you really need a car in Kirksville? Although it's reasonable to assume that a car is the most convenient way to go to and from Kirksville, it's unreasonable to assume that a car is the best way to travel around the city. Kirksville is less than 10 square miles, which seems to make automobile use a luxury, an indulgence and even a bit absurd.
The University, however, has chosen to make automobile use completely acceptable - and even fairly easy - with huge parking lots and its parking tag system. There is even another parking lot planned for the space near Barnett Hall. This open space is one of Truman's assets, and soon it will be another unnecessary parking lot on a university that already has plenty of parking. I can't imagine that there's any reasonable motive for building this parking lot - Truman students are active, able people who are intelligent enough to factor in the brief amount of extra time it takes to travel by foot or bike.
We even have a motivated, well-funded, highly-active bike co-op on campus - the perfect antidote to the automobile addiction plaguing Truman. Do you really need to drive to classes? Ask yourself that before you get in the car. Do we really want another parking lot so we can just keep driving our cars senselessly? Truman should be a place where a sustainable, reasonable culture is created - not a place where the excessive, overwhelmingly unsustainable habits of the larger world are perpetuated.
Luke Gardner
Junior
Kirksville Highway 63 bypass presents one-time opportunity
The Highway 63 Corporation has been working with officials from the Iowa transportation community for several years to improve Highway 63 between Missouri and Iowa. Our aim is to eventually develop the "Avenue of the Capitals" between Jefferson City and Des Moines. The highway also would connect Interstate 70 and Interstate 80.
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