Iowans love their cars.

None of our cities have extensive mass transportation systems and small rural towns are scattered throughout the state with gravel roads and two-lane highways as the only paths for transportation.

When Iowans need to go shopping, they don’t walk down to the corner grocery store or catch the bus downtown like someone in a larger city. They just hop in the car and they go.

Our culture and our heritage support this wholeheartedly. Huge shopping centers provide enormous parking lots for every size vehicle imaginable. And since all of our cities are relatively young and sprawling we don’t have to worry about any of the narrow roads originally intended for buggies or sardine can-tight buildings from the days when people still walked everywhere.

Except at Iowa State.

Here students fight for parking space permits in the residence hall lots and dare DPS parking staff to ticket or tow them when they park in a reserved spot on campus. While students may beat the parking ticket once in a while, it’s tucked in safely behind their windshield wipers more often than not.

It’s not all the parking staff’s fault. There just isn’t enough space to go around.

So instead of cursing the “parking nazis” for their ticketing ways, let’s find a more creative solution to the problem.

Like recognizing the fact that Ames has one of the most extensive and efficient public transportation systems of any city in the state. CyRide buses run at almost all hours of the day to almost every part of Ames for less than $1.

And you can’t find a gallon of gas costing less than $1.80.

There’s also the possibility of walking to campus.

Iowa State is known for its beautiful, park-like campus, best enjoyed via the campus sidewalks. While other universities are covered with cement, we unconsciously enjoy trees, flowers and wide open spaces to play Frisbee and build snowmen, depending on the current season.

Besides, just think of all the money you’ll be saving by not having to worry about paying off parking tickets or filling the gas tank. It’s at least enough to buy a late-night pizza. And with all the walking you’ll be doing you don’t have to worry about piling on the “freshman 15” or waking up one morning to find your series of weekend excursions has earned you a beer gut.

So take advantage of all the ISU campus has to offer. Instead of complaining about the dozens of parking tickets you’ve piled up over the school year and cursing everytime a DPS rolls by, try leaving the car keys at home and trying a new option.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell