Back to School Week: Miami, Bowdoin Ban Student Cars
We’re seeing a lot more sustainability-minded colleges, universities and even high schools encouraging their students to walk or bike, rather than drive, to classes. But two institutions of higher learning, one in the north, one in the south, are taking things even further by banning on-campus cars for all incoming freshmen.
For the first time ever, the University of Miami is prohibiting cars for freshmen starting this fall. Instead, new students, returning students and faculty alike will be able to travel around campus and the city using fuel-efficient cars available through a university partnership with Zipcar. The car-sharing program offers users hourly, daily or annual access to cars when needed, gas and insurance costs included.
The Zipcar option will also be offered at Maine’s Bowdoin College, where first-year students will be barred from having on-campus cars starting next fall (2009).
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“Students get along just fine without a car on campus, even in the winter months,” said Tim Foster, dean of student affairs. “With expanded alternative transportation methods in place now and others planned for the coming year, we believe first-year student transportation needs can be met quite adequately as we reduce the environmental impact, parking difficulties and congestion caused by additional cars.”
The University of Miami and Bowdoin are among a growing number of colleges and universities that have partnered with Zipcar. Other campuses offering the car-sharing program include Amherst, Boston, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, M.I.T., Smith, the University of Chicago, the University of North Carolina and Wellesley.
