Cars, they’re how so many of us get around today. What about everyone else? How do students who aren’t local get around without a car of their own in a town that doesn’t really have public transportation? 

Well in this case, I can answer some of these questions with my own experience, because I am one such student, but I have experience with both sides of this question.

My freshman year, I didn’t have a car, only worked on campus and was on a meal plan provided by the university. I never really had to leave campus much, but if I did it was always within walking distance. Sophomore year, I was in a position where I could have a car on campus, it allowed me to freely visit friends in Paducah or go home and help my family with yard work.

I had a bike as well that I would just use to get around campus. Fast forward to this year and I just have my bike and unless I have to leave town that’s all I’ve really needed. I just rely more on my bike than the past two years.

Living in the dorms, I am close enough to go anywhere that I would need to or want to by bike.  For me, cars are a luxury, not a necessity. Of course, I realize that isn’t the case for everyone and some people have to have a car to get to and from work.

To see just how many students actually use cars to get around vs other methods, I sent out a survey to students asking them, if they live on campus, have a car, and what the impact that makes on their lives at Murray State. To my surprise,  all the respondents have cars, enabling them to get around Murray and the surrounding area.

One student said that, “It gives them the opportunity to explore Murray and the option to go home should the need arise.” Another student said that it’s a huge impact, as he regularly visits his hometown in Missouri, which is two hours away from campus. Without a car students wouldn’t be able to make these trips.

For me, such trips are not doable, it’s not something I can do. This year I have left campus more than any year before, and with that I have made the most out of what I have, my bike. The stories that I have worked on this semester have mostly involved using my bike to reach assignments. For one of my stories, I biked to and from the interview.

You may be wondering, why don’t I coordinate with other people to help me get around without a bike? Well, the simple answer is that there wasn’t a need to. Any site I needed to get to for an assignment was within biking distance. This is the more dangerous way of doing things of course. If I need to make my way downtown then I have to cross Highway 641 and the drivers turning onto it don’t always check for people crossing the street. This is the impact of having a bike, over a car on Murray State’s campus.