Parking problems at UT have existed for as long as any student can remember. UT's current approach to the problem, building more parking garages, is not only extremely expensive and pretty unsightly, but also has no chance at keeping up with the constantly growing student population. UT is doing a pretty good job with the "T", but what about students who want to be able to move on their own schedule? The answer is on two wheels. Bicycles and motorcycles take up far less room and are therefore far more efficient both for getting around and for getting parked on campus, yet UT has done very little to encourage bicycle and motorcycle use as an alternative to the ubiquitous automobile.

Bicycles are a great way to get exercise, they don't pollute, cost next to nothing to own and operate, and can often be parked mere feet from the classroom door. Aside from students who live near campus who would be able to ride from home to school, students who must commute by car could still benefit from bicycle use if UT adopted a bicycle sharing program. Quickly becoming very popular in congested urban areas both in Europe and the United States, bicycle sharing programs allow access to public bicycles, stored on automated racks, which dispense the bicycles like a candy from a vending machine. For a very small fee, students would be able to rent a bicycle for the day. For added convenience, students could pay a yearly fee (a discount on their commuter parking permit would be a nice gesture from UT) and simply swipe their VolCard to rent a bicycle. A bicycle sharing program would allow UT to build satellite garages at the edges of campus, without having to depend on the overburdened "T" to transport students from the garages to class and back. Decreasing car traffic on campus is key to the Campus Master Plan, and satellite garages with bicycle sharing facilities would be an excellent way to accomplish the Master Plan's goals.

Motorcycles are a great option for those who live far enough from school that bicycle riding is not an attractive or practical option. Most people wouldn't consider a motorcycle a "green" form of transportation, but motorcycles usually get better mileage than highly-praised hybrid cars, with some, such as the popular Kawasaki Ninja 250, getting upwards of 70mpg. Some scooters achieve better than 100mpg! Even the biggest, fastest sportbikes usually achieve low fuel consumption in the range of 35-45mpg. Motorcycles are not only fuel misers, but are also nearly as space-efficient as bicycles, although they tend to be about twice as wide. UT currently charges $51 for a commuter motorcycle permit, a ridiculous amount when one considers that a motorcycle parking lot costs the university next to nothing to create, since they usually consist of a small area of existing sidewalk and an "M&R" sign. Not only is this price unfair, it also discourages occasional motorcycle use, since students don't want to waste money on a permit they may not be able to use on a daily basis. Another benefit of motorcycle use, lane-splitting, could be a great way to encourage motorcycle use, as motorcyclists would be created out of car-drivers after seeing a motorcyclist ride up between two lanes of idling cars. Legalized in most of Europe and in California, lane-splitting can be a great, safe way to decrease commute times. A special UT campus allowance for lane-splitting could be a great way to encourage this extremely efficient form of transportation.

Simply building more parking garages and getting more students to ride the "T" are not enough to make a serious impact on UT's congestion and parking problems. To find relief, UT needs to think outside the four-wheeled box, and look at two instead.