Commuter Column: The Concerns of Commuting

By Travis Fortunas

Staff Writer

Greetings fellow commuters! With the first few weeks of the semester out of the way, we should have a solid commute routine in place. For some of you who might still be struggling, here are some tips for an effortless commute.

I like to keep a few things in the back of my head when traveling. One of the most important things to do is leave enough time in your commute for literal roadblocks that may come up. These can turn what you thought would be a smooth ride to school into a 45 minute headache after dealing with bumper to bumper traffic.

Roadwork or an unexpected car accident are some things that can hold you back from being on time since they can cause delays in your regular schedule. You may leave the house at the same time every morning. Some days you may be 30 minutes early, while on the other days you can be 30 minutes late. It’s best to leave about an hour window in case you have to make up for any lost time due to complications on the road.

Once you arrive at school, your first concern is probably parking. Getting a good parking spot depends on what time you arrive on campus. I find parking to be the easiest between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. before most students arrive. As the day goes on, parking spots begin to fill. By common hour, every parking lot is usually full. If you’re lucky, you could find someone who’s leaving, allowing you to cash in on their spot.

To avoid frustration, I choose to park in the lot across from Hillwood, which students often refer to as the commuter lot. This parking lot is one of the biggest parking lots on campus and is usually never full. You are always guaranteed to find a spot there. The only downside is that it’s quite a walk back to campus, which I don’t mind because cardio helps alleviate stress that stems from commuting overall.