Cameron Bruce, The Circuit
Mopeds seem to be on their way to becoming a common occurrence at Benedictine College, as more students choose to use them as their primary source of transportation around Atchison.
Mopeds are affordable, reliable and provide a quick means of transportation around town. Compact and lightweight, they can easily fit in between cars and into tight spaces all while helping to reduce gas costs.
However, with this trend spreading across campus, rules and regulations regarding parking must be implemented.
Some students are able to park in spaces that were not intended to be parking spots, causing complications for other students.
There have been complaints about moped operators not properly operating their vehicles.
These complaints are the result of other drivers not being able to squeeze into a space completely, because of a moped parked on the white parking line. Other problems include, moped owners blocking the use of the trash bin outside of the apartments, mopeds parked on the sidewalks, leaning up against trees, and behind dumpsters.
Evan Solis, sophomore at Benedictine College, is a current moped owner and uses it to get from point A to point B.
“I think that they are a great solution to a problem that a lot of students face, regarding transportation,” Solis said. “They are cheap and affordable and don’t cost much to fill up with gas.”
Solis maintains that he abides by all the parking regulations enforced at the college.
“I got a ticket my freshman year for parking in a faculty/staff spot so pretty much ever since then I’ve been following the rules,” Solis said.
Noah Olinger, junior at Benedictine College and fellow student who also drives a moped, agrees with the rules and regulations regarding mopeds and parking.
“I think the security does an excellent job of enforcing the parking rules here on campus,” Olinger said. “I’ve seen so many cars and mopeds with tickets on them this year, I would say that they’re definitely necessary, though. With the amount of mopeds that I’ve seen just this first semester, it seems like the need to regulate them has become more of a priority.”
But parking violations may not be limited to just two wheels.
“I’ve seen some students park in pretty ridiculous places before,” Olinger said. “I saw one guy who had used a bike chain to tether his moped to a tree and I’ve seen some random ones just sitting on the sidewalk, but that’s a pretty rare occasion. Most of the time everyone does a good job of abiding by the rules.”
