Everyone that attends SMU knows what the “worst” problem on campus is — parking.

Ed Board would like to make the claim that although parking isn’t exactly convenient, it’s not nearly as bad as it could be.

There are nearly enough parking spaces for the entire undergraduate student body. Also, parking places are less than a mile from any given destination on campus.

Picture yourself in Austin at the University of Texas. There are 50,000 students there. The majority of them have a vehicle of some sort. The campus is huge. Think of how bad parking is there.

Now think about SMU.

Parking here is fine. It’s just that we’re lazy.

Students want to be able to blow out of the Carlyle at 12:50 and be able to make it to their 1 o’ clock class on time. That’s not going to happen if they have to park over in Moody.

SMU claims to be working on the problem.

They’re going to tear down a couple fraternity houses and put up a new parking garage.

Well, that won’t help any of us. Most of the current undergraduates will have graduated by the time that project is finished. Also, the new parking structure is pretty much as far away as Moody.

It might be useful for the kids living in South Quad, but nothing special for commuters.

Ed Board has a plan for those of us living near campus.

First, try leaving earlier. We know that those extra ten minutes of sleep are nice, but are they worth a $30 fine? Or worse, a boot?

Another idea, especially given the weather conditions of the last two days, get a bike. Not only are bicycles environmentally friendly, they are also great for exercise. And they’re fun. And convenient.

Just think, you could ride all the way to the building your class is in without having to walk more than 20 feet.

Admittedly, bicycle thieves are a bit of a problem, and that Central Expressway thing is a pain, but it’s totally worth it.

So go out there, get a bike — and a lock, dodge the traffic and cycle to school.

For more enjoyment, or just to be kind to the environment, try using your new means of transportation to go to other places, like the store or salon. But not the bar, Ed Board strongly discourages drinking and cycling.

Seriously though — get a bike.

The world will thank you for it …