Transportation

Driving

The buses stop their operation relatively early in Corvallis. The cargo capacity and range is relatively limited on a bicycle. It is the most costly, but the most convenient form of transportation in this town.
Assume that bicyclists think traffic regulations do not apply to them. More often than not, they ignore stop signs, ride between pedestrians and ride in the dark without a headlight. It's also rather common to see them riding against the traffic. Even if you have the right of way, it's a good idea to clear of bicycles before making a turn or moving from a stop to avoid a time consuming and costly collision.
Make an extra effort to obey every traffic law in the campus vicinity during the wee hours of the night. Cops are out to look for ANYTHING to establish a reasonable cause to pull people over during these hours. I would guess they're wanting to do random sobriety checks and itching to find lawful causes to initiate traffic stops. I for one was driving cautiously but was pulled over on Harrison at the intersection of 10th. I saw a cop car at the south side of the intersection while stopped at 9th for the light on the , then as soon as it turned green and I pulled away, I got stopped. I had NO IDEA why. My car is in good repair, my lights were on, not one light was out and the stock exhaust is next to inaudible
Officer: Do you know why you're being stopped?
Me:No sir
Officer: You stopped at the red past the line at 9th.
Me: Oh, I was not aware
then I was let off since there was nothing else going on.

Perhaps my bumper violated the stop line a few inches but I was sober as I could be and it was obvious.
If you're stopped for something you didn't even think it was possible to get stopped for and happen to have underage passengers who are acting drunk, I could imagine each one of them getting ID'd and getting an MIP, possibly even asked to search your car.

Skate/Longboarding

With such a flat town, Corvallis is a prime place to travel via skateboard or longboard. It's easy, fast, and efficient. Although usually you wouldn't want to longboard in the rain, or if it is wet out, there are indeed bearings that you can purchase that are waterproof and safe to ride while it is wet out. You can grab these at your local board shop or online at many sites such as eBay. Many times they will come out of the UK so they might be a bit more pricy, but if you look around you can find a good deal. If you are a fan of night riding, I would recommend purchasing a small, strong flashlight that you could mount on the bottom of the front of your board so that you can see the road and prevent any of those nasty potholes from ending your night early. Also, if you think that long boarding is a easier and safer way to get around after you have been drinking, think again; police can, and will issue MIP's for anyone over the limit that is operating or riding anything with wheels. Use good judgment!

Mopeds

With gas reaching such ridiculous prices, what better way to travel than by moped? Reaching up to (but not limited to) sixty miles per gallon, a significantly lower priced parking pass, much more convenient parking locations, and the sleek, sexy style it provides, it is hard to argue with the idea of mopeding. Also, a parking pass for a moped/motorcycle is significantly cheaper than a car pass: $45 for a moped and $120 for a car.

If you feel that finding a decent priced moped might be a little difficult, check out Craigslist, there are usually a few posted at a time and sometimes you can find great prices. Once you purchase a moped, they are incredibly easy and cheap to get insured, as long as your record is fairly clean. Also, you don't need a motorcycle endorsement as long as it is under 50cc, so you don't need to worry about that. And trust me; if you are looking for that special lady, there is no better way than to holla at the girlies via moped!

At Oregon State University mopeds have started to show up around town more and more frequently. With mopeds (and motorcycles) on the rise it is a growing concern about rider safety. One should be cautious when operating a moped. Not only do you have to pay attention to your surroundings, you have to make sure your the people around you are aware of you. Being on a moped, you are the smallest, lightest, and slowest vehicle on the road. Not a good combination if you are involved with an accident. One can prepare for the road by dressing accordingly. It is important to think about how clothing protects you from injury. There are two areas of protection needed: impact resistance and abrasion resistance. This is just secondary safety; however, you should also think about primary safety what I can do to avoid an accident. If you really must fall off your moped you need some way to minimize injury from the impact which will occur during the time it takes you to hit the road the first time, until the time you stop and get out of the road. Impact resistance normally comes in the form of armor or padding, which is designed to absorb the impact and spread the load. You should consider impact protection on all the main contact points on your body, e.g. knees, elbows, shoulders, hips back etc. Once you've finished bouncing, you need to consider what separates you from the road which will be moving underneath you as you skid along. Abrasion resistance is generally measured by how long something lasts before wearing through or disintegrating. You can generally conclude that the longer it last the more protection it will give you. Leather is about the best abrasion resistant material for moped clothing. Moped leathers will normally be thicker than fashion leather, but in any case it should last about 10 times longer than denim or cotton. It's also pretty good at insulating you against the heat that is generated by friction between you and the road.