Editor,
It is ironic that Matthew Martinez, in his letter published in the Daily Lobo on Friday, talks about how bus riders are getting government money while folks like him are being left behind, because automobiles get massive subsidies from the government.
It takes money to build and maintain parking lots and garages and operate convenient parking shuttles that whisk you from the parking lot to class. And that is just UNM's part. I don't even want to start on the millions or billions of dollars the city, state and federal governments are investing in our roadways. Public transit, in comparison, has always had the short end of the stick and received seemingly pathetic subsidies.
Martinez doesn't seem to appreciate the benefits of taking public transit. We are quickly approaching an age of declining oil resources, and we need to start conserving fuel immediately. Public transit is one of the best ways to do that, and encouraging more students to take public transit is a strong move toward sustainability. Even if you don't agree with that, you can't argue that when people aren't driving cars, it means less rush-hour traffic and less competition for parking. Surely, Martinez can appreciate that.
As for being too lazy to get a driver's license or put up with paying for a parking pass, hey, I guess I'm guilty there. But you know, I just felt like there were better things to do with my time - like catch up on homework.
If anyone feels like discussing this, come to the first meeting of the UNM Public Transit Student Group this Thursday in the SUB Atrium at 6 p.m.
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John Perry
UNM Student
