The value of our safe ride

We're in college.  What's more, we are college students in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  We live in a city notorious for its drinking habits which is made apparent by the plethora of bars peppered about the streets.  And that's a thick spread.  Under La Crosse's Wikipedia page ‘Bars and Taverns' are the first subsection under ‘Culture.'  Insert pat on back here.

We have Oktoberfest, Riverfest, Irish Fest, Weinerfest, Downtown Mardi Gras and the Beer, Wine and Cheese Festival just wrapped up.  And if that's not enough we have an entire area down on 3rd and 4th streets devoted to nightlife that is hopping every weekend. We like to drink, we do it without shame and we're damn good at it.

But we do something else really well too; something far more important.  We get home; thanks to Safe Ride. The statistics can be thrown around, like how Safe Ride has been credited for decreasing the amount of OWIs in La Crosse by 28% or how it gives over 10,000 impaired folks a ride home every year, but it is truly invaluable.  And it's funded in part by our student fees here at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and those at Viterbo.  Insert less sarcastic pat on back here.

 We who enjoy stumbling around downtown on the weekends are extraordinarily lucky.  There are three ramps for us to park in for as long as we like and we live in a pretty safe town so we don't have to be too concerned with a trek home.  The Safe Ride, however, is unbeatable.  It circulates Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays all throughout the school year and runs a long route all the way up and around campus and back downtown every 15 minutes.

When it comes to downtown shenanigans the worst-case scenarios are endless and seemingly boundless when reviewing tragic events of the past.  Safe Ride is there to lessen the degree of these events.  To appreciate the value of this service all you have to do is review some of the perhaps questionable decisions you have made, count your lucky, blurry, drunken stars and promise yourself you will take the bus next time.  It's what it's there for.

Safe Ride is free and if you are an occasional or frequent inhabitant of downtown, chances are it has saved your ass a time or two.  Not wanting to get stuck being the designated driver or wait an hour and a half for a taxi because we decided to call at bar time is a commonality.  Thanks to this program you never have to do either of these things.  Take advantage of this service and don't forget to slur out a thank you to the bus driver as you stumble down the stairs and to your comfy bed.