Green Guide - Transportation
Living Green Main Page
Transportation
With concerns over global climate change - and the price of gasoline - on the rise, the need and desire to reduce oil consumption has become more important. Walking, riding a bike, taking the bus, and carpooling are all great ways to get where you need to go while reducing your environmental impact.
Walking
Bike
Bus
Carpool
Walking
Quick Tips
Bike
Quick Tips
- Get out of the car and get some exercise by riding your bike.
- You can ride your bike to the bus stop of the "T" and load your bike on the front of the bus. (See transit tips below.)
- Ask your friends to join you. The more the merrier, and the cleaner the planet will be.
- Hit the hills and practice bike riding so you can get stronger.
- Play it safe. Bikers have to follow the same rules that drivers do!
- Pack clothes to change into on campus if necessary.
- Pack some deodorant, too. Your friends and co-workers will appreciate it!
- Make sure you have lights when you ride at night - a generator doesn't need batteries!
More Resources
Repair your bike at KU's Outdoor Pursuits facility in the Student Recreation Fitness Center.
It is important to remember that bicyclists must follow the same traffic laws as motorists. For more information about bicycle safety, laws, and trails please visit the Kansas Department of Transportation bicycle and pedestrian transportation website.
Lawrence is easily accessible by bike. Take advantage of our bike-friendly community by riding your bike to class, work, and downtown. See the Lawrence bike route map to find the best route to and from campus. The Lawrence Transit System provides bike racks on the front of buses for those trips across town.
Grab some friends and hit the trails! For a full listing of bike trails in our area go to the Kansas Trails Council.
Bus
Quick Tips
- Take the campus bus. (It's FREE)
- The "T" #8 bus comes right through campus.
- Use both the "T" and campus bus systems to shorten your trip.
- Commute to and from the KC Metro with the K-10 Connector.
More Resources
KU on Wheels, KU's transit system includes a Park and Ride lot and easy access to most parts of the city and in Fall 2008 it will be free to all students. Visit the KU on Wheels site for schedule and parking permits.
K-10 Connector If you are a commuter, you may be interested in the recently established K-10 Connector. Visit The Jo to find routes and information on fares. You can even calculate how much money you could be saving by riding the bus.
The Lawrence Transit System provides mass transportation around town. Visit the Lawrence Transit web site to find out fares and options available to KU students.
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Carpool
Quick Tips
- Share your car and car pool.
- Statistics say car pooling is safe. Learn MORE about etiquette and other carpool basics
- Walk to lunch or carpool with colleagues
- If you have kids in school, let them carpool, walk or ride the bus as well.
- Skip warming up the car by idling; it's not good for your car or the environment
More Resources
If you're looking for a place to connect with other car poolers, visit the MARC Greenride site to find options available for you both in Kansas City and Lawrence.
For you Facebookers out there, there is an application called "Carpool" which lets you do a variety of things: search for people offering rides in your area, post a ride you are willing to share with someone, post a cab-ride that you want to share, identify the people offering or asking for rides by going to their Facebook profile.
You can also check out Craigslist under the "rideshare" section of the Lawrence or Kansas City Craigslist page to find more carpooling options.
Idling wastes gas and produces twice the emissions of a car in motion. Find out more at the EPA's Idling FAQs page and bust myths of idling. Idling is actually not good for your engine!