From a high-rise view, one can see little blobs on campus buzzing around like the jetpack elves from “The Santa Clause.”
Veering left, right and between students and cars, the little blobs lack a sense of responsibility and respect for pedestrians and vehicles alike. Stop signs are rarely followed, and the distinction between sidewalk and road is ambiguous.
Ugh. Electric scooters: the worst form of transportation on campus. For everyone.
For starters, the regulations for e-scooters are often unknown. Are they considered bikes? Cars? Both? Neither? No one knows. This lack of distinction allows scooter users to take advantage of all transportation paths, whether bike lanes, car lanes or sidewalks.
They cut in front of buses, swerve around students on the Main Quad and blow right through any and all forms of traffic regulations. They are the Swiss army knife of transportation, which may seem beneficial to riders. However, they are also one of the most pointlessly ineffective ways of transportation for students.
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There are four main modes of transportation between classes on campus: walking, bus, bike and e-scooter/skateboard.
Walking to class has many positive health benefits. According to FSU News, it “supports mental health and improves sleep, mood and stamina … boosts academic performance” and can lead to “improved attention, concentration and problem-solving skills.”
Public transportation is a great way of lowering carbon emissions in contrast to auto vehicles, and the use of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District buses is included in tuition and fees at the University.
Biking is a great, low-impact muscular and cardiovascular exercise. It can also be faster than walking and riding the bus.
And then there’s the — ugh — scooters. The bus driver has to slam on the brakes as an e-scooter casually glides by. The AirPods-wearing student walking to class is blown by a gust of wind as they see the little red light above the rear wheel fly by, leaving them in the dust.
While e-scooters are proposed as an environmentally-friendly option for transportation, researchers from North Carolina State University found that the materials, manufacturing and collection of e-scooters “show a net increase in global warming impact” and that “they do not necessarily reduce environmental impacts from the transportation system.”
The University campus is just a microcosm of e-scooter problems. Professor Stefan Gössling has found that e-scooters have “caused considerable anger” and led to debates over “access, space, speed, and safety” in many urban areas throughout the country, as well.
Whether the riders are wearing bulky blue and orange Illinois backpacks or not, the little blobs buzzing around and causing traffic jams on sidewalks and streets cause nothing but stress for pedestrians and other vehicles.
Furthermore, the health and environmental benefits of alternative modes of transportation far outweigh the supposed ease of use attributed to e-scooters.
So, next time you’re considering how to get from class to class, consider the pros and cons of all viable forms of transportation and make an educated decision that benefits both you and others on campus.
Ugh. Scooters.
Alex is a freshman in Business.
