COLUMN: Let my people walk

Editor’s Note: To submit a response to this column, or submit a letter to the editor on a new topic, email your submission to opinion@usustatesman.com

Have you ever paid attention to how expensive a car is? Just recently I renewed my car’s registration: $65, plus another $15 and two hours of sitting around for the emissions test. And that was just a one-time fee! Add in the cost of insurance every month, plus the constantly-increasing price of fuel, parking near campus and the $1000-plus (and hours of frustration for this amateur DIY-er) of repair costs this past year and my little ‘04 Pontiac is eating up a significant percentage of my limited, still-in-college income.

But as I’ve tried to use my vehicle less often in recent months to cut costs, it’s become clear to me that Logan City has a problem: it’s incredibly difficult to get around this town without a car.

The auto-centric focus of the city is an issue that is made abundantly clear every winter when the inversion settles in and those exhaust fumes have nowhere to go, causing the air quality in the valley to plummet. And that’s not to mention the traffic congestion that is a constant frustration for anyone who has tried to navigate Main Street anytime other than Sunday mornings.

It would be wonderful if there were another convenient option that would save money, save time, save stress and save our health — which brings us to the point of this article: walking is not an option in Logan, and that’s a shame.

Just the other day, I made an emergency trip to the store to grab bread and jam (of course I didn’t plan well enough to have those staples in my pantry already when the toast craving hit). I would have loved to walk a couple blocks over to a corner store or neighborhood grocer to grab my breakfast items, but instead I drove 10 minutes, gave my money to the largest corporation in the world (shout-out to Walmart), then drove 10 minutes back to my house.

The un-walkability of my neighborhood forced me to spend an extra 20 minutes running my vehicle and spend my money at a place that won’t keep that money in our community.

Kyle Todecheene, File Photo

A shot of Logan’s poor air quality on an otherwise beautiful and clear January morning. What if there were a way to reduce the pollution?

I live near-ish to downtown Logan, but consider the Utah State students who live close to campus: if they’re in the situation I was in today, just needing a couple of things from the store, what are they going to do? They’ll get in their car, drive down to Main Street — adding to the traffic congestion — and spend their money at Walmart or Smith’s.

That’s the worst possible option for them and for Logan in general, but it’s the only one they have. Imagine the number of car trips we could save — lowering congestion and improving air quality for everyone in the valley — if there was a convenient corner store within walking distance of campus. Why is there not a small neighborhood grocer somewhere near the dorms just east of the university?

There are other personal benefits of walking — sitting in traffic raises stress levels; physical exercise is obviously beneficial and has the dual-benefit of lowering stress; walking a couple of blocks is faster than driving across town — but I think the most compelling reasons to address Logan’s walkability problems are the potential benefits the whole community can enjoy.

This city is beautiful — we shouldn’t have to experience it from our cars.

Logan’s leadership needs to consider walkability when planning for the future of this wonderful community. This city is beautiful — we shouldn’t have to experience it from our cars. Give us some mixed-use zoning and consider policies that will encourage the development of walking-friendly neighborhoods.

We want to hear from you! Have ideas to make Logan more walking-friendly? Or do you think it’s fine the way it is? Submit your letter to the editor by emailing opinion@usustatesman.com.

Thomas Sorenson is a graduate student in the MBA program. He loves pizza, puppies, his wife and Donovan Mitchell, but not necessarily in that order.