My name is Seth Skye, I’m a senior at OSU studying Natural Resources and Sustainability and I live car free. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, I have became accustomed to taking alternative modes of transportation from taking the bus or riding my bike.
Before I came to OSU, I was a student at Portland State University and primarily rode my bike to campus every day. My commute was long, ranging around 22 miles a day, and although I know many people would laugh and joke on how crazy it was to bike that much everyday just to get to classes, but besides taking the bus it was really my only free option and the quickest option. Biking this amount every day is what I believe allowed me to fall in love with biking and make it more of a lifestyle rather than an option to choose from.
It is a way to explore, connect, and enjoy your surroundings that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy if you were trapped in a car.
I have been living in Corvallis for over a year now and have solely relied on my bike as my only source of transportation. Every now and then I have carpooled with people or even have taken the bus or train to get out of town, but I have found that being a student in Corvallis it is really easy to be car free. Compared to Portland, Corvallis is a really small town that takes no longer than 10 minutes to get across town by bike so when it comes to running errands or commuting it doesn’t feel like a chore.
Biking, in the best way possible, has consumed my life to the point that I don’t leave my house without my bike. Not only has biking consumed my life, but it has also become a great outlet to recenter myself when I feel too overwhelmed with school or just life in general because it allows me to enjoy myself. The amount of people that I have met through biking and the communities that have taken me in is a huge reason why I bike and choose to bike. It is a way to explore, connect, and enjoy your surroundings that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy if you were trapped in a car.
Although I am only 19 years old, I find no interest in owning a car in the near future because not only is it a machine that sucks your bank account dry, but I have also found ways to access vehicles that satisfy my all needs such as moving large pieces of furniture which is very difficult when you don’t own a car. Corvallis is a perfect town to be car free because of all its resources they provide such as free public transportation, and the highly concentrated bike shops they have around town that will fit all your needs.
Open Streets Corvallis 