Duke has never been known to be accommodating to the average commuting undergraduate. An annual Blue Zone parking pass will set you back $240, and the rate is higher for graduate and professional students. When I got my parking permit, I found that it was an almost useless expense. The Blue Zone is always almost full, with the very last lot being the only one with available spots for a 10:05 a.m. class. With the drive and the lengthy walk, my typical commute to my morning class in the Sociology Psychology building took at least 30 minutes. This is far too long, considering I live one mile off campus.
I also found that the Blue Zone was a terrible choice for parking since I have classes in Trent Hall and do research on Research Drive and at the Duke Medical Center. A typical walk from the Blue Zone to any of these locations would be about a mile and a half.
The inefficiency of Blue Zone parking, compounded with the amount of money it takes to fill my car with gas, meant that driving to class on a typical Blue Zone permit was just not a smart choice. So I started exploring the other options that Duke offers to students who commute to campus.
Duke offers free carpool permits to groups of four or more undergraduates who commute together. There are carpool parking spaces in prime areas around campus, so the permit gives commuters greater freedom with where they put their cars. While the offer seems to be a great incentive for students like me, I found that I didn’t qualify for the program because of an off-campus bus that goes near my apartment complex. In my experience, students who live near campus don’t qualify for carpool permits unless they live at least two miles away.
So why didn’t I just take the bus? The problem with the LaSalle Loop Bus is that it would take longer than walking, and the fact that there is only one bus means I would have to set out about 10 minutes earlier than if I had driven just to get to class. Therefore, the bus option also turned out to be too inefficient and inconvenient.
So I started riding a bike. For a student who lives reasonably close to campus, biking is an ideal choice for the commute. No parking fees. No traffic. Ample bike racks right next to campus buildings. No need for gas money. An excellent quad workout.
Luckily, the Duke Bikes program provides weekly rentals of bikes that can be renewed up to three times. Bike rentals come with a free lock and free helmet through the Duke Bikes program, which is housed in the Outpost.
Since biking is such a great option for some commuters, I was shocked that bikes are in limited supply at Duke. On any given day there are only one or two bikes available for rental. The Outpost opens at 12 p.m., and usually it runs out by 12:05.
When exploring the bike racks outside of the Outpost, one may find many bikes in various states of disrepair. Some have loose spokes on their wheels, broken brakes and other mechanical malfunctions.
The Outpost office itself appears to be underfunded and undersupplied. In addition to the scarcity of bicycles and the obvious need for repairs, the computers are outdated and the ventilation system seems in drastic need of an upgrade. The less-than-stellar condition of the Outpost is surprising considering the decent condition of most Duke facilities.
For a University that is investing millions of dollars in a campus in China and spending untold millions on other projects, it does not seem to be too much to ask for a slight increase in funding for a small campus organization like the Outpost. Bikes should be readily available and in good condition, and the offices should be renovated to meet the standards of most other Duke facilities.
In addition to being a basic service for Duke students, an increase in availability of bikes for undergraduate students living off campus could further help Duke to meet its sustainability goals. Although commuter carbon dioxide exhaust is probably not a part of Duke’s sustainability metric, it nonetheless promotes a culture of environmental responsibility that would make Duke into more of a “Green” campus.
Duke has demonstrated an increased commitment to transportation sustainability through the electric cars program and Duke GreenRide. Currently, Share the Road signs are being painted on Duke roadways to reinforce biker safety. Although all of these developments are encouraging signs that Duke is making an increased commitment to alternative modes of transportation, much work remains to be done. This is especially true with regards to undergraduates living off campus. An upgraded bicycle facility with greater inventory would give students an efficient mode of transportation and provide an alternative to the inefficiency of the current Blue Zone parking model.
Milap Mehta is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Friday.
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