Student Government Director of Campus Affairs Sarah Joy Hayssays she gets a lot of comments about campus transportationannoyances.
But the negative feedback does not deter her from trying tosolve the transportation problems and use her position to be acatalyst of student opinion to University traffic officials.
Hays also said, in cooperation with University Parking, Trafficand Transportation, students will see big, long-term changes in thenext few years regarding campus buses and traffic.
But for now, Hays said SG has worked to facilitate somesmaller-scale changes such as posting daily bus schedules insidethe bus and providing a handicapped bus for disabled students.
Hays said students can board a bus and immediately see the timesthe bus will stop and go. Students constantly are complaining aboutboarding buses thinking the buses are going to leave, but then thedriver stops without notification, which confuses students, shesaid.
“This is immediate gratification for students who take thebuses,” Hays said.
Hays said Gary Graham, director of Parking, Traffic andTransportation, was receptive to SG’s requests. But she said ifthey do not take the matter on in a timely manner, she will takepersonal responsibility of putting the practice into effect.
Hays also said Parking, Traffic and Transportation was helpfulin getting a handicapped bus for disabled students.
She said the University already ordered and received a new busspecifically for disabled students, but they have not decided howthe bus will run.
Hays said she expects it to run similar to Campus Transit’sTiger Tram, in that students can call the bus to be picked up anddropped off when necessary.
But University Traffic Control employee Lariat Scott said she isskeptical of the efficiency of a handicapped bus and its ability tolessen traffic because disabled students probably will still wantto drive anyway.
Disabled students and those with medical permits are able topark next to most buildings.
But Hays said minimizing traffic and improving campustransportation is difficult to change in the middle of a semester,mainly because the bus system is contracted through an outsidecompany.
The University signs a contract with Capitol TransportationCorporation at the beginning of each calendar year, setting thenumber of buses and routes that will run, Hays said.
“So if we need to change a bus or a route, it changes thecontract and the cost,” she said.
But Hays assured students help is on the way.
And Graham said the University has hired an independent trafficconsultant company out of Chicago, Ill., to help gauge theUniversity’s traffic needs.
Currently, Walker is conducting an extensive survey to see ifstudents would be willing to pay higher parking fees if it wouldlead to positive transportation changes.
Jermaine George, a kinesiology sophomore, said he thinks thecurrent bus system is efficient as long as students give themselvesenough time to get to class. He also said he bought a parking tagthis year, but probably will not buy one next year, no matter thecost.
To help traffic flow, Scott suggested the University build awalking bridge over busy roads, such as Nicholson Extension, thatgoes in front of CEBA. If they built “walk-overs” over busy roads,the University may be able to cut off some of the student trafficin the inner parts of campus, she said.
But Scott said cutting off traffic inside campus and making theUniversity an entirely walking campus would anger faculty memberswho like to park near the buildings where they work.
Biological sciences freshman Brian Allen Truant said she agreesthat the University should build a walking bridge over busy roadslike CEBA.
“That would help a lot, actually,” she said.