Federal transportation statistics state that there are more cars on our streets than ever before. This fact is painfully obvious to anyone who commutes on a daily basis or tries to walk across a busy street. Rush hour traffic is a nightmare; Chicagoans are overly dependent on their automobiles, and public transportation is not always up to the task. Yet there are many alternatives to this mess. Bicycle commuting is an important aspect of breaking the gridlock on our streets, and some of these solutions can be found right on the NEIU campus.
NEIU’s Green Fee Committee can be credited for the recent addition of more bike racks around the campus and more to be installed in the future. Also, some of the recent Green Week events highlighted the practicality of this alternate form of transportation. The Green Cycle Group’s table had numerous pamphlets displayed, including maps and other useful information.
One of the Green Week events was the Chicago Bike Winter workshop.
Held on the University Commons by representatives of bikewinter.org, the workshop offered many tips about keeping warm and safe when bike riding during the colder months. The group is dedicated to riding their bicycles year-round, thus staying free of the dependency on cars or public transportation. While this level of commitment may seem tedious to some, the people at Bike Winter tried to demonstrate that riding in the winter is not as miserable or dangerous as it might seem.
The College of Cycling is NEIU’s own bicycle club, devoted to promoting the biking culture to as many students as they can reach. Their website, www.neiu.edu/~BikeNEIU, has cycling related news, the club’s meeting schedule, downloadable CTA accident report forms, an interactive version of the Chicago Bike Map and many links to other related websites. The group is currently discussing possible bicycle sales on campus and a proposed merger with the Green Cycle Group.
Both the Chicago Bike Winter group and the NEIU College of Cycling are affiliated with BreakTheGridlock.org, a Chicago area resource for alternative sources of transportation. Since 1999, Break the Gridlock has been working to reduce personal automobile use in Chicago through a variety of different strategies. They are currently working towards an official non-profit status so that they can hire a paid administrative staff and expand into the mainstream of local politics. There are many other affiliated organizations also accessible from their website, such as Bike Geeks, Forever Free and Clear and Chicago Critical Mass.
On one level, Break the Gridlock serves as an umbrella organization for the cycling community, but they are also involved in the general trend of moving away from a car-obsessed culture. Although the group currently has a decidedly bicycle oriented bias, they are growing in different directions for alternative transportation solutions. They highlight the negative aspects of our nation’s automobile culture. According to their website, pollution, encouragement of urban sprawl and an over 42,000 a year fatality rate from automobile accidents are just a few of the problems associated with cars.
There are many people that will not or cannot give up their automobiles. However, the alternative of saving money, protecting the environment and getting a workout can be an enticing combination for many college students. With the gridlock in the streets, the rising price of gas and the credit crunch making it harder to buy a car, bike commuting becomes an option that is worth some thought.