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PIMP MY RIDE
I board the #5 on Prince Avenue, just down from Ike &
Jane, and 10 minutes later I alight at the Multi-Modal Center,
across the street from Flagpole.
Going home, it's another straight shot out Prince on the #7.
Wednesdays, I can get back on the #5 and ride it through
campus to the Georgia Center in time for our 6 o'clock taping
of "Athens News Matters," which takes 30 minutes, plus what
ever chatter and hijinks precede and follow the show.
At 7 p.m. the #5 picks me up again, and I ride it out Baxter
and Hawthorne to Gilmer, where I hop off for the short walk
home. I could get off at Kroger or Bell's and grocery-shop for
an hour and then continue my ride home. So, going home,
between the #5 and the #7, I've got bus service every 30 min
utes. And, going into town, the #5 runs every half-hour in the
afternoon, plus, for now, it runs on into the evening, so that
I could catch a movie at Cine, riding the bus both ways—no
worry about the wine.
And, .best of all, being the "survivor" (their term) of a UGA
retiree, I get to ride the bus for free. I have taken advantage
of this windfall off and on (no pun intended) for several years,
but recently, I got serious. A few months ago, even before
the latest rise in prices, I filled up my old four-cylinder Volvo
wagon with regular gas and hit $50. That same week Dr. Sam
Griffin got worried about my blood pressure. Ever since, I've
been walking to work and riding the bus home or vice-versa—
sometimes walking both
The university has
shown us that it works.
Now we just have to
see it for ourselves.
ways, sometimes riding,
depending on how fast I
need to get there.
I have also taken to
studying schedules, check
ing out the other buses.
For instance, I might join
Millard Grimes at the Hilltop Grille for a glass of wine after
work. (He enjoys the snacks and the friendly bartenders there.)
The #6 takes me straight to Hilltop. An hour later, after a quick
walk up to Hawthorne, I'm back on the trusty #5 for the short
ride home.
This just begins to scratch the surface and doesn't even
take into account the UGA buses, which we all can ride for
free. The Milledge Avenue bus, for instance, is a continuous
15-minute shuttle between downtown and Five Points, with all •
kinds of possibilities.
In spite of its availability, I have not taken the bus at
night, so I have no feel for the level of ridership. Still, I hate
to see that Mayor Denson is recommending curtailing night
service, which has been hard-won and, I believe, should be
expanded, because of all the night-time activities centered
in downtown, where the buses converge. This is not to men
tion the impact on people who have to work late. I can barely
imagine the difficulties the mayor faces in trying to balance
our community budget, but I can attest that our bus service
has the potential for an increasingly beneficial effect in ame
liorating some of the problems we face.
The University of Georgia had many of these same prob
lems—for instance, getting people from place to place on time
without depending on automobiles. They did it by providing
frequent service paid in advance by student fees and restrict
ing parking to the decks. Even undergraduates can see that if
it's already paid for and gets them there on time and there's
no place to park, anyway, it's a slam-dunk to take the bus. And
they do.
We could do the same in town. Free and frequent bus ser
vice would address the myriad problems of gas prices, automo
bile upkeep, traffic, parking, pollution, exercise, public health,
etc., so that the tax increase to put it into effect would be
more than offset by the rise in community well-being. It's the
greatly benefirial solution that is not going to happen yet, but
it's there, and it makes sense in so many ways. The university
has shown us that it works. Now we just have to see it for
ourselves.
Henry Ford got us off the farm and into the cities with his
Model T, emancipating us from rural work and ushering in sub
urban America. What we need now is an invention to wean us
from dependence on Mr. Ford's so-last-century vision and renew
the health of our bodies and our body politic.
Is that the #5?
Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com
THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:
NEWS <§s FEATURES
City Dope 4
Athens News and Views
Nancy Denson's proposed county budget contains some controversial cuts—and expenditures, too.
Comment 9
Letter from New Orleans
A writer s impressions upon a return visit to the Crescent City.
AWTB <§s EVENTS
The Reader 11
Sticks and Stones
Right by Her Roots: Americana Women and Their Songs speaks to the soul of American songwriting.
Book Review 35
Words on Music
Start learning your Southern hip-hop history.
iMusiie
Summer Music Festivals
Volunteer and Attend for Free!
A UGA grad shares tips and insight on attending a wide range of music festivals.
Del the Funky Homosapien
A Playa Bigger Than the Game
Del compares freestylin' to jazz and explains his new three-album release. Golden Era.
CITY DOPE
4
THREATS & PROMISES
....15
CITY PAGES
5
SUMMER PREVIEW
....16
CAPITOL IMPACT
6
AUX
....17
ATHENS RISING
7
KYLE KINANE
...18
FREEDOM THE SEA TURTLE ....
7
DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN ...
....19
GOOGLE THAT SHIT
8
THE CALENDAR!
....20
COMMENT
9
BULLETIN BOARD
....28
GRUB NOTES
10
ART AROUND TOWN
.... 29
THE READER
11
COMICS
....30
MOVIE DOPE
12
REALITY CHECK
....31
MOVIE PICK
13
CLASSIFIEDS
.... 32
FILM NOTEBOOK
14
BOOK REVIEW .-
....35
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Drew Wheeler
CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Nash Hogan, Jesse Mangum, Matt Shirley
WEB DESIGNER Kelly Ruberto
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flagpole
COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto
featuring a photograph by Fiona Nolan
on display at UGA Lamar Dodd
School of Art
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VOLUME 25
ISSUE NUMBER 17
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