By Cindy (Binh) Nguyen
Layout and Design Editor
School can be extremely stressful. Switching from cars to bikes is one easy way commuters can fight the stress, especially when final exams are underway.
At FDU, most commuters prefer cars over bikes. Since biking takes more time than driving, juggling between school, work and an internship is a real struggle. Senior Ivan Solans Diaz, who started to commute by bike since the beginning of the semester, considers bad weather the biggest disadvantage of commuting by bike.
“When it is cold, I always think about how warm it would be inside a car,” Solans says. “Rain is a big enemy, too, as no one likes getting to school soaked.”
Barak Pipkins, who travels 15 miles from Bloomfield to FDU, agrees that the weather affects cyclists. “Last semester, I didn’t have my license, so I rode my bike every day to school. The ride was super bad and bumpy on snowy or rainy days.”
However challenging rain and distance may be, there is a silver lining in the clouds: Biking is good for the mind and body. A study shows that two-wheeled commuters were happier than their four-wheeled counterparts. Those who bike to school tend to have a physically active lifestyle, thus significantly higher well-being than inactive individuals.
Commuters who attend classes by bike also contribute largely to saving the environment. A bicycle emits only 1/10th the amount of carbon dioxide as a car, according to the European Cyclists’ Federation.
There are currently eight bike stands for those who cycle to and around campus.
Sophomore Adam Matter, who rides his bike to get around campus, is content with the number of bike racks.“Some students are hesitant to switch their vehicles from cars to bikes so I think it will be really cool if the university has a bike rental or bike-share program that allows us to rent a bike with a student ID and return it after a week or so,” he said.
FDU could consider additional racks, incorporating safety classes, distributing bike lights, developing on-campus bikeways and opening a bike-repair station to make biking more accessible for all types of commuters.
Students are advised to pick their two-wheeled companion carefully, avoid carrying cumbersome items or buy accessories to help assist them, and watch the weather forecast before leaving the house to benefit the most from commuting by bike.
This story part of The Equinox’s participation in a statewide climate reporting collaboration by members of the NJ College News Commons, a network of campus media outlets working together to cover the climate crisis in New Jersey.
