LYNX LIFE LIBRARY

You saw the title. The objectively true title. Or maybe it's my idealized/romanticized/optimized belief of what public transportation should be in metropolitan areas in the US? Sure, some days, getting to school is already hard enough without the trials and tribulations of RTD. However, I do my best to look optimistically upon my daily commute and make the most out of it. After all, it's 100x better than driving for 35 minutes, looking for parking, buying gas, paying for a car, paying for car insurance… you get the idea. Cars suck. Public transportation is the way. 

Yes, the campus has residence halls, but fewer than 10% of CU Denver students live in them. Which means you cannot deny the staple lifestyle of most CU Denver students: being a commuter. 

Maybe you're nearby in a downtown neighborhood and walk or bike to campus whenever possible (lucky). Seeing as I cannot ride a bike properly in bike lanes, we'll be ignoring that today, but shout-out to all the bikers. 

Maybe, like me, you commute in from a suburb (unlucky). 

No matter the method of transportation you choose, we're united under the common identity of commuter. From the massive number of parking spaces spread across campus lots and garages, it's safe to assume that most students prefer, or are limited to, the direct method of driving. In the winter, transportation options become even more limited as once viable paths are blocked by snow and/or the cold. Taking into consideration the somewhat chaotic layout of the Denver metropolitan area, it makes sense why most students drive to campus.

Class schedules also have a huge role in the decision of how to best get onto campus. If a student only has a one hour and fifteen-minute-long class on Tuesdays, why not take the fastest way? In a car centric city like Denver, the fastest way tends to be driving. 

Okay: Driving is usually the most convenient transportation method, but this doesn't necessarily indicate it's the easiest. Everyone knows that drivers in Denver have gotten worse and worse. We've probably all thought, "Everyone but me is a terrible driver everything would be so much better if people actually knew how to drive what is this car with Texas license plates even doing?" Or something like that. Alternatively, I might be getting road rage from all the terrible driving around me, but surely I'm not alone in this. 

Here we find another argument for taking public transport: I'm not the one driving, so I'm not the one getting mad at all the drivers around me. With my hands off the wheel, I'm free. 

Still, the commute can be long, and it's tempting to use this time as another doomscrolling session. What else then, can one do if they're not driving themselves to school? I'm glad you asked: 

• For any bus ride, it's easy to put one headphone in and observe the city as it passes outside the window. I especially recommend this even if you're from the area; you can learn of so many interesting local restaurants and businesses to visit. This is base-level bus comfort for me, but that's just the beginning of what having your hands off the wheel offers. 
• If, like me, you're a reader without a lot of free time to read, this is where the bus really shines. The bus provides a great opportunity for reading, whether you speed through a recreational book or need to catch up with readings for a class. 
• I also occasionally crochet on the bus, and I'm sure there are other hobbies people can create time for if taking the bus. 

Of course, I'll sometimes just be on my phone scrolling or watching a video if I know I'll be too busy to relax in this way for the rest of the day. The public transit commute carves out time for me to do things I enjoy, and that makes the trip worth it on its own.

One final note: My daily route is the 15/15L, widely considered to be the "worst" line in the whole RTD system. If I can make the majority of those bus rides enjoyable or productive, I know you can too.

I encourage you to give it a try!