Weather affects students’ transportation choices

Contrary to a recent study that shows weather does not affect the number of people who bike or walk, students on campus said they have been inclined to use the bus system more during the colder season.

“I take the bus a lot more when it’s cold,” said Julian Alvarado, sophomore in LAS. “I live right by the bus stop, and it drops me off where I need to be.”

The study, conducted by the Alliance for Biking and Walking, found that despite changes in weather, the average number of bicyclists and walkers in Illinois and nationwide stays constant throughout the year. Despite the results of this study, students on campus have found weather to be a major reason to use the bus more often than walking or biking during the winter months.

“When the weather is crummy, we see a high number of bus riders,” said Jan Kijowski, marketing director for the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. “Ridership numbers are significantly higher in January and February.”

The MTD, which has served campus since 1989, accommodated more riders on Jan. 28 than in any other one-day period in its history, Kijowski said. She said last week’s colder temperatures most likely account for the high number of riders.

Cameron Iannalfo, junior in LAS, said he often rides the bus because the winter weather is much colder than he expected after coming to the University from Boston. He said he will be walking a lot more when the weather gets warmer.

Aside from the relationship between weather and people’s tendency to bike and walk, the Alliance’s study also addressed issues of safety and funding for bike paths and walkways.

According to the study, released Jan. 29, the state of Illinois is spending 1 percent of its transportation budget on accommodations for bikers and walkers. The report also found that pedestrians account for 12.3 percent of all traffic deaths in Illinois.

“We continue to see the strong connection between funding and bicycle/pedestrian safety,” said Rob Sadowsky, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, in a press release.

Although the Alliance for Biking and Walking found that pedestrian transportation causes a number of fatalities, Kijowski said the opposite of public transportation, calling it “very safe.”

“I don’t know much about how safe it is to bike and walk, but I can say that public transportation is very safe,” she said. “I would say it’s probably worse to walk or bike when it’s icy out than to be sitting inside of a vehicle.”

Traffic safety, however, does not usually worry students when transportation is concerned.

Hannah Grad, freshman in Business, said she takes the bus in the morning because of the weather, but has never hesitated to bike, walk or take the bus because of safety.

“I always walk no matter what, but safety doesn’t affect my decision to walk,” said Kaitlyn Kalata, junior in LAS.

Charles Terry, graduate student, also said safety is not something he considers when choosing to bike, ride in a car or walk. But temperature is, and as temperatures rise, Terry and other students may choose to commute to class differently.