By: Asha Tompkins, Community Editor
During the season of pulling all-nighters in order to prepare for the next day, it’s likely that people have run late to a class or two on the Portland campus. However, these instances of running late may be due to the time they spend walking from their modes of transportation to classrooms. The routes people choose to take have an impact on the concept of traveling as well as an impact on people’s mindsets about travelling.
For example, would a person usually consider cutting across a parking lot through a bunch of motionless cars in order to get to Woodbury campus center faster from Payson Smith versus taking a sidewalk? It’s unlikely, but it would save time.
In taking notice of one’s surrounding areas, easier methods of moving through spaces become more prominent. The lawn between Luther Bonney and Payson smith has sidewalks looping around trees and signs in order to reach both ends of the lawn, however, it’s not the fastest route. It’s about as fast as walking around the entire perimeter of a square in order to reach the bottom left corner.
(Most of the informational text will be supplied in picture captions. I.e. the quickest route from Woodbury campus center to Abromson parking garage)
Regardless of which route an individual chooses, it may be interesting to note that most people choose to use sidewalks that are planted in the ground–a surface that is already made to walk on– in order to arrive at a location. Perhaps movement is accomplished in that way because it has become a social construct: adhering to the sidewalks. This, however, is food for thought, as there are few who visibly take the paths less traveled.