Everything you want to know about parking and transportation at OU is on the university website, so that’s not what this is about. Rather, this is a word about parking trends in general for university students.
Only you know how badly you need a car on campus. Will you have a far commute from your Ohio University rental housing to campus? Do you have a job you need to drive to? Maybe you need a car to get back home on weekends to be with family, or you’re inclined to drive out to the woods during your spare time and go hiking or trail running. If a car makes sense for you, and you can afford it and the cost of gas and parking, by all means go ahead.
But if the idea of driving during your college years leaves you cool, know that you won’t be alone. The national trend is for fewer students to bring cars to campus. Seems the diverse transportation options – including ride sharing – are, er, driving this trend. As a result, students are getting driver licenses later – and some are taking a pass altogether.
This trend has in turn resulted in housing communities providing less student parking, even as universities promote walkability. There’s also a trend to convert paved areas to green space, and move parking to the far reaches of the campus. The micromobility movement, including electric scooters such as Bird and Lime, are also contributing to the diminishing number of cars on the college campus.
One advantage of going carless on campus is you don’t have to worry about renting an apartment or house with a parking space. In a small college town like Athens, not having to worry about parking a car is a real plus. Further, you can rest easy because you know most of the things you need are well within walking or biking distance. So if it feels right, ditch the car this semester and savor Athens’ walkability.