Brennan AngelWith gas prices now over $3 per gallon and campus parking lots crowded, many students are now looking at alternate modes of transportation like motorcycles and motor scooters.
Students who ride their motorcycles to campus benefit with closer parking spaces and $90 annual parking permits as opposed to $270 for cars.
“Parking is better,” said general engineering junior Alan Hsu. “It is cheap and I can park next to buildings.”
Cal Poly offers a number of locations for motorcycle riders to park their bikes: by the Alex G. Spanos Stadium, in front of the Performing Arts Center, by the University Police station, by the Robert E. Kennedy Library, next to Campus Market and more.
The readily available parking could be one of the attributing factors to the increase in students using motorcycles and motor scooters as their primary mode of transportation.
Jim Wilmore of Wilmore Auto Works is the only Vespa and Piaggio motor scooter dealer in San Luis Obispo. He said that since November, when he first began selling Piaggios and Vespas, people have purchased over 40 scooters.
“There is definitely an interest from young people. However, older adults as well are coming in looking for Vespas,” Wilmore said.
Wilmore is one of the top sellers in the state. He attributes much of this to having the lowest prices in California and living on the Central Coast, where residents tend to be more environmentally and economically conscious.
The typical motor scooter ranges from $3,000 to $6,000 and runs approximately 70 miles to the gallon.
Many used cars can have the same price as a new Vespa, but Wilmore said the typical car only gets 20 miles to the gallon.
“I save roughly $180 a month on gas using my bike,” Cuesta College junior Gene Baik said.
Baik owns both a sport utility vehicle and a motorcycle and drives roughly 200 miles a week for work and school. Using just his SUV, Baik would spend upwards of $240 a month on gas. Driving his Suzuki, he spends roughly $60 a month.
Wilmore said motor scooters are also becoming more popular with the college-aged crowd because of their physical appeal. Vespa has marketed much of its products toward this age group by pushing new colors and unique styles of bikes.
However, there are reasons why many students, and drivers in general, are not turning in their car keys for a motorcycle or motor scooter just yet. Many people find bikes unsafe or unreliable.
“People haven’t taken to bikes as much because of the safety risks,” Baik said. “They are a lot more dangerous than cars or trucks.”
Hsu agreed, saying that he has been involved in an accident on his motorcycle.
Another issue that affects many decisions to use cars rather than motorcycles involves the weather. Motorcycles can be unsafe when roads are wet, and many drivers are wary to use them in places like San Luis Obispo where the climate brings many wet days.
Even with these setbacks, students are making the transition from cars to motorcycles for the benefits, especially the monetary advantages.