During my first year and a half in Evanston, I found both getting around the city and around campus onerous. From my first day at Northwestern to now, I live at North Mid-Quads, firmly in the heart of South Campus. With friends, every excursion around the school feels like a flash, but alone? Alone you could text a friend, “I’ll be at Norris soon” and be there a long 15 minutes later. God forbid you got a morning class in Technological Institute and have to speed walk half-asleep to make the 10 a.m. bell. 

And sadly, public transportation isn’t the best over here either. The Purple Line is only worth walking to Foster or Noyes to go south of Dempster, and the 201 Central/Ridge bus comes every 30 minutes. And if you miss the 201 going to Ryan Field or even across campus, you’re out of luck.

However, an electric bike fixed my transportation problem. I did not know how to ride a bike since I never thought that would be helpful in my hometown of Palm Beach County, Florida. I grew up in a “Village by the Sea,” where the roads were almost as large as the Atlantic Ocean, and the cars drove faster than German torpedoes. At Northwestern, a top-10 university in this country, we should have top-10 bike lanes. Sheridan Road realizes this mandate with its bright green paths and protected barrier. I believed I’d be safe biking on Sheridan, and I also thought I’d be safe biking all over the roads of Evanston.

Thankfully, my hopes were not only realized but exceeded. I’ve had a blast riding through Evanston, beyond the street boundaries of Ridge Avenue to the west and Davis Street to the south that most students adhere to. I regularly pedal onwards to the North Shore Channel Trail to the west and Howard Street to the south. It’s hard to describe the thrill it is to bike on Church Street by Evanston Township High School while the breeze is a tailwind, pushing you along. Getting to see the natural beauty around Evanston quickly is a unique experience only biking affords you.

Let me be honest. Buying my Boulevard at Volton Bicycles in Morton Grove cost my family and me a lot of money, and that’s not an option for many students at Northwestern. So I hope that the higher powers, including the city of Evanston and the state of Illinois, will extend a refundable credit towards buying electric bikes, like the San Francisco Bay Area did. Even with the lack of state support, I’m happy to spend a pretty penny on the Boulevard instead of a dirty dime on Ubers or owning a car.

I’m also satisfied with taking care of my bike and the responsibility of bike ownership. In my life up to now, I haven’t had a lot of responsibility — I didn’t have to pay the rent, cook all the meals, or take care of the family cars. I came into college life expecting to take on responsibility, like feeding myself and discovering classes to take. So, taking care of a bicycle? Making sure that it’s locked every night and I have the keys? That’s light work to me.

I fully support every cyclist, both original and electric, and I fully encourage everyone reading this article to consider biking on campus. I got my bike at Volton, and I know that Wheel and Sprocket at 1027 Davis Street sells e-bikes. You can also order other quality rides online. However or wherever you find your electric bike, you’ll have a great experience.

Sterling Ortiz is a School of Education and Social Policy, Class of 2023. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.