Community members can breathe a sigh of relief this school year as there is a lower number of cars on campus, causing fewer traffic jams in Champaign-Urbana. However, this trend will only become a constant if we consciously make an effort to keep these numbers low. 

Numbers from the parking department indicate that the University has sold 1,000 fewer parking permits to students over the last five years, meaning fewer students on campus are choosing to use cars as a form of transportation. Instead, one can assume students must be using the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, CUMTD, bikes and other modes of transportation. As of 2011, it was reported that 89 percent of students commute through transportation methods other than a single-occupancy vehicle.

While this is a promising statistic, it is also a trend we hope to see continue to improve in the future. Oftentimes the combination of student pedestrians and vehicles on campus can be bothersome. The number of students on campus, whether driving, can create a large amount of traffic, resulting in longer travel times just to move a couple of miles in a car.

And coming from a group of students who primarily rely on walking, biking or riding the CUMTD, we think a lower number of cars on campus provides a safer commute as well. 

With thousands of students attempting to scurry across campus to get to class on any given weekday, safety and efficiency is important. Less car traffic to weave through while crossing major streets would be beneficial to the safety of students. And the amount of time it takes to walk to class can easily be shorter than driving due to the difficulty of finding parking on campus. 

Not only do fewer cars on campus lessen the danger and headache associated with campus travel, but it also makes our campus more environmentally friendly. And because our campus is constantly working toward greener options, which is evident in several of the University’s Green Report Card grades, we think continuing to promote fewer cars on campus would be a step toward improving our ratings.

While 1,000 fewer parking permits is great, we hope to see that number rise even higher in the future with a decrease in the number of cars students bring to campus.

Students are bound together by one campus, and we feel that it’s important that we continually work together to make it a safer, more environmentally friendly place, which can be achieved if students continue to embrace alternatives to car travel.