Two key decisions that affect my day-to-day life, decisions about housing and transportation, were made last spring. Before arriving in Austin, my wife and I decided to leave our car with her in Pittsburgh as she finished up school. Knowing that I would be reliant on public transportation, I figured that I wanted to live close to campus. At the time, I had absolutely no concept of Austin’s neighborhoods or geography. So, at the suggestion of an acquaintance, I decided to settle in Hyde Park, a neighborhood just north of campus–two miles from the business school. Naively, I figured that I could walk to campus every day. My first commute to campus, a steamy forty-five minute treck in direct sunlight, taught me what a silly idea that was. While a two-mile walk in the northeast is a quick and easy trek, when you factor in the summer heat and having to navigate a dozen stop-and-go intersections, the same trip in Texas can be torture. The bus quickly became my sole option for transportation.

On weekdays, the bus–Capital Metro and UT shuttle–work really well. The buses along my routes (1M/1L with Capital Metro and the IF bus with UT shuttle) tend to run 8-12 minutes apart during the daytime, and they run pretty regularly. (By the way, UT students can ride all of the local buses for free with a valid student ID.) However, taking the bus at nighttime can be trouble. One night last summer, I emerged from the PCL library around 11 p.m. and ended up waiting an agonizing half hour for the bus to come. On weekends too–if you miss a bus, you can get stuck with a 20 to 30 minute wait. (Quick Tip:  You can check bus and shuttle schedules online at the Capital Metro website.  Outside of rush hour the stop times are usually spot-on. During rush hour, they can be way off).

After a summer of reliance on the bus schedule, my dad was nice enough to give me his old road bike to use for the fall semster. It made a world of difference. If you live within three miles of school, the bicycle commute is the best way to get here. There are lots of small neighborhood roads that snake around campus, which means that you can get to school without having to risk your life riding on a main thoroughfare. Also,with a bike, you can come and go when you want without worrying about finding parking or hitting traffic. If I catch the bus right when it arrives at my bus stop, I can get to the business school in twenty minutes (door-to-door). Usually, it takes longer, between 30 or 45 minutes. By bike, it only takes me 15 minutes to make the ride. 

On the downside, when you ride a bike, you suffer in bad weather. Luckily, it does not rain much in Austin, so this was never an issue for me.  Also, a flat tire can strand you on the road far away from campus. Fear of flats should not keep you from riding, though. If you commute along or near a bus route, you can always load your bike onto the front of a bus and ride the rest of the way. Of course, this is a Texas city, and a bicycle is no substitute for a car here. A bike is good for riding to school and maybe hitting a few locations in central Austin. That is it. If want to cruise around north or south Austin, you will need a car.

Late last October, in what proved to be a particularly bad omen, my bicycle’s age caught up with it just as I was pulling up to McCombs to take a Intermediate Accounting exam. As I was cranking up the hill, I heard loud pop, and the chain went limp. The whole rear gear assembly just fell off and started dragging on the ground. There was nothing I could do but lock the bike up and leave it. The bike stayed there for three months, and I eventually had to drive to school in a car and take it home. Since then, I have been forced to get back on the bus.

Winter break has come and gone. My car is here in Austin now. Quite frankly, I am very happy to have my car. Grocery shopping has never been easier. Having a car has made me better about stepping out to see different parts of town. As far as the commute to school is concerned, driving a car is still unrealisitic. Parking at UT is expensive, and it really is just easier to take the bus. 

That being said, I am dying to get my bike fixed, and I think that this weekend I will finally have the time to get it done. I will let you know how that goes.