After dropping off my “new” 10 year old Toyota for what will almost certainly be an expensive fix, this question came to mind. My first year at Maxwell, I rode my bike everywhere and in almost any kind of weather but this past November, I bought my first car. The views from behind the handlebars or windshield are vastly different.

On biking

Folks from less snowy climates may get the wrong impression that once snow comes, bikes must be put away for the season. As a little kid, I remember seeing my bike pushed behind the snow-blower until spring. But in college, I realized that riding my bike to downtown Albany was faster than taking the bus or at least faster than waiting for a “usually late and frequent stop” bus. While my job in Arlington lacked showers (precluding a sweaty bike commute), I did ride many an evening along the Mount Vernon Trail.  After I moved to Syracuse, biking was a natural extension of habit and I ride almost every day to Maxwell.

Syracuse is fairly compact, sort of flat and lacks the crazy traffic of more bustling metros. Living in Westcott, there are two grocery stores within a 10 minute ride, Tops and Price Rite, and Westcott itself has some decent restaurants and other amenities. Cycling to the grocery store also precludes buying food you do not need because you are limited by how much you can carry. Of course for the more sane, a Facebook post to the Maxwell group asking for a ride to the store may be easier.

Snow and ice can present a bit of an issue during the winter and if the streets are not cleared, I will make the fifteen minute walk to campus or don my cross-country skis instead. It usually only takes a day or two for the city to clear the streets (unless you live on a side street) and SU’s snow-clearing abilities are unmatched. While there are not many bike lanes in the neighborhood, there are plenty of “share the road” signs and

low speed limits and traffic, and wide streets make cycling tolerable most of the time. A bunch of us are clamoring for a bike lane on Euclid Ave would improve my commute.

On driving

One of Syracuse’s first greetings is usually a jarring jolt of a pothole or several. Next, long waits welcome you at virtually every traffic light. It is my suspicion that the city tried to use as many of them as possible to subsidize the local invention. Finally what makes Syracuse pleasant for biking, its compact size, negates much of the time savings a car provides. While Google Maps says the drive from Westcott to Armory Square downtown takes seven minutes for a mere two miles, traffic lights and looking for parking easily double that. Cycling takes about the same time. New York also has the highest gas tax in the country, its Thruway is fourth highest in the country for revenue and registering a car is expensive (especially if you just bought one due to used car sales tax). Finally, driving to campus is permit only and usually requires at least a 10 minute walk to Maxwell from distance parking lots or even shuttle bus ride. There is a parking lot next to Maxwell but as far as I can tell, it is off limits for normal people.

Of course, none of this dissuaded me from joining the car-owning masses. It has been nice to visit the formerly distance Wegmans in Dewitt or hike in Highland Park. Once area lakes warm up, I cannot wait to take my kayak for a spin. There are a lot of neat trips to everything from vineyards, apple picking, scenic railroads and Maple Sunday that owning a car opens up. I graduate at the end of June and driving opens up the acceptable places to rent wherever I end up employed. Bottom line for one year, you can probably get away without a car. For two years, that may be more difficult.

On mass transit

Yes, Syracuse has a bus system call Centro. No, it may not take you where you need to go. It was too confusing to figure out its infrequent schedules, strange routes, annoying website and $2 fare. If you live in Westcott or one of the surrounding neighborhoods, SU provides an additional bus, free of charge, to take folks to campus. Centro will not take you to the airport (figure $60-75 for a cab) and I would have qualms about its reliability to the train station. This is why mass transit at the bottom.