No car, no problem in Logan
“Holy Moses. I was freezing. I would have purchased a hat if they had one.”
Megan Farnsworth, a senior in American studies, said she bought a pair of socks after arriving at Lee’s Marketplace so she could wear them on the walk back to her apartment.
Since her 1996 Oldsmobile dropped out of commission in October 2005, Farnsworth said she walked about a half mile from her Pineview apartment at 800 E. 1000 North to Lee’s Marketplace a few days before spring semester started.
“I needed milk, so I trotted off to Lee’s on a bitter morning,” she said.
After Farnsworth’s car “blew up” due to transmission problems, she said she started walking everywhere. Having a job on campus helps, but Farnsworth said what is most convenient is having access to cars through friends. To make the situation easier for the driver, Farnsworth said she waits until a roommate announces they are going to the store and then will tag along. Since no one was around the day Farnsworth needed milk, she braved the weather and spent about an hour walking in the cold.
Many students get around Logan without cars. Farnsworth said Ashleigh Restad, a sophomore in environmental engineering, is one person who helps solve this problem. Restad owns a car and said she doesn’t mind giving rides to her roommate.
“It’s horrible not having a car,” Restad said. “It really makes you appreciate it if someone helps.”
Since she has always had a car, Restad said her high school friends asked for rides to school. She said she even drives her boyfriend around.
“I don’t mind it,” Restad said. “But I’m the one who has a car, so sometimes it’s easier to just let people borrow it when they need it.”
Loaning out her Pontiac isn’t something Restad does on a daily basis, but she said she will loan it if she feels OK with it. Farnsworth said she was able to borrow it for a weekend drive to Idaho.
Farnsworth said changing her car situation doesn’t have an easy answer.
“When I had a car I went to California three times in one semester,” she said. “So I wish I had a car, but if I have a car then I won’t stay in Logan, do homework and get my shiz done.”
Even though sometimes it would be nice to have control of when she could drive and where she could go, Farnsworth isn’t able to afford a car and figures walking will help keep her in shape.
“I walk because, let’s be honest, my ace needs it,” she said. “I’m in better shape now than I am during my job in the summer when I’m sitting.”
Walking and driving aren’t the only ways for students to get around Logan, however. Farnsworth and Restad said one option that was not tempting was the idea of biking.
“It’s really cold in Logan,” Farnsworth said. “When I see people huffing up the hill on a bike, I think, ‘Aren’t you freezing?'”
Katy Thompson, a sophomore in dietetics, said she bikes to school almost every day. Even with an Aggie Shuttle right outside her apartment at Old Farm, Thompson said she prefers biking.
“I think I’ve gotten used to it because all I’ve had for three years is a bike,” Thompson said. “Besides, I like the feeling of trying to push myself up the hills.”
Thompson said the hardest thing about not having a car is dealing with the weather. On one occasion, Thompson said her face went numb from biking against the wind on her way to school. If the sidewalks are icy, she said she walks instead.
“My back hurts more when I walk though than when I ride a bike, because I take all of my books in one load,” she said.
Like Farnsworth, Thompson said she relies on friends with cars to help her get to the store for shopping or to provide rides to and from work. The LTD bus route Thompson takes to work takes about 45 minutes of travel time. Being on time for the bus determines being on time for work.
“I’ve missed the LTD bus once on my way to work, but I called a friend who had a car so I made it to work on time,” Thompson said.
Thompson, who works at Macey’s, said she takes the LTD bus to work but has to come up with another mode of transportation if she ends up closing late at her job since the LTD bus routes end at 9:45 p.m. Trying to bum rides from co-workers is something Thompson said she has to do.
The LTD bus system is fare-free and has 11 city routes and two country routes to choose from. Nathan Coats, manager of Laid Law Transit Services, said the earliest route starts at 4:45 a.m. Coats said although there are more students taking the bus in the morning, “USU students are on that thing all day long.”
To help make sure all students get to morning classes on time, Coats said an extra bus called the “USU Tripper” is used to pick up students. For first-time bus riders that seem overwhelmed, Coats said they can call the Transit Center and set up an appointment to go over their daily schedules with LTD personnel. Not only will the personnel tell the students which bus route to take at which time, but Coats said they will answer any other questions or concerns. One piece of advice Coats gave for students is to synchronize their watches with the clock at the LTD Transit Center so they won’t be late for any bus routes.
Students seem to get from place to place whether driving, biking, taking a bus or walking. But life sure seems easier when you don’t have to buy extra socks on your walk back home.
For further information concerning the LTD, visit their Web site at LTDbus.org or call 752-BUSS to find maps or riding tips.