To see a video on what students think about the lack of transportation at night, click here.
Frantically dialing friends in the wee hours of the morning or waiting on the side of the road for a cab is not an uncommon routine for students in a college town.   And neither is drinking and driving.With the lack of available and reliable means of nightly transportation in Baton Rouge, drinking and driving may seem to be the quickest alternative to get home after a night of partying.   Thirty-four people have been arrested since July for drunken driving in East Baton Rouge Parish, according to a Sept. 25 article in The Daily Reveille.One of the area’s night buses, “drunk bus,” accommodates residents and partiers in Tigerland.But for students who don’t frequent Tigerland, this can be quite frustrating and inconvenient.Audrey Parker, general studies sophomore, said she’s never been to the bars in Tigerland. She said she goes to places like The Spanish Moon and Mellow Mushroom, which aren’t included on the night bus routes.There are alternate forms of transportation for people who go out in areas other than Tigerland, but finding an affordable and safe ride can be difficult.Several taxi cabs are available 24/7, yet some people are wary of using them.Parker said she wouldn’t take a cab by herself.”I would take a cab if I was with others,” she said. “But I’m afraid to take one by myself. That’s scary.”But Kristin Pohl, mass communication sophomore, said she doesn’t have to worry about finding a ride home because she and her friends always have a designated driver.”I’m usually the DD, and most people I know have a DD when they go out,” she said.But not everyone is that responsible.Pohl said she knows people whose designated driver is the person who is the least drunk.”People generally in that state aren’t thinking,” she said.Extending the hours of operation and expanding the University bus routes may not just cut down in drunken driving and alcohol-related accidents.Gary Graham, director of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said in an e-mail the University nightly bus is a reliable mode of transportation for students.”Any use of the buses rather than walking at night is a safer method of getting around,” he said.But there has been no talk of expanding the bus routes to other bar areas in Baton Rouge, he said.”[It] has not been discussed,” Graham said. “These routes were set up in 2001, and there wasn’t much going on downtown at that time.”Parker said she would be willing to pay the money to expand the bus routes to bar areas besides Tigerland.”If it keeps everybody safer, then it’s a good way to spend our money,” she said. “But I would want to know people are using [the buses] so I wouldn’t be wasting money.”And that’s where Student Government comes into play.Brandon Boyd, SG director of transportation, said in an e-mail although the funding for bus services is maxed out, a revision to the transportation system is feasible.”The downtown routes and satellite campus routes are very possible within the scope of our future service,” he said. “As far as changing routes, it is very simple. Most of the routes were changed or redesigned this summer from student input.”But the lack of night buses isn’t the top concern for students right now, he said.”We students are more concerned with the buses during class time than anything else,” Boyd said.He said he would like the buses to travel to more popular areas, especially because of safety reasons.”Lots of students currently use the bus as their ‘designated driver,'” he said. “I do hope in the future LSU can offer routes to entertainment areas. Students wouldn’t have to worry about getting a ride home. They could count on the bus.”Boyd said it is the University’s job to provide the students with safe means of transportation.”I think the University is responsible for doing everything they can to make a student’s life at LSU a wonderful, memorable experience,” he said. “It seems silly that something as little as not having a bus map on a dorm entrance or bus stop can negatively affect that mission.”Boyd said it’s also the University’s job to advertise its operations to students.”The University needs to do a much, much better job of publicizing its services to the students,” he said. “Improvements such as maps on buses, at bus stops, in residence and dining halls, and easily accessible online interactives are a commonplace among our peer institutions. These are easy improvements to the quality of service without even changing routes or service.”But Boyd said he doesn’t think altering the bus system will have a tremendous impact on how people choose to act when they have been drinking.”The juvenile choice to drive after drinking alcohol will not be changed because of a bus,” he said. “There are always friends and cabs. If you can afford to go out and drink, you can afford a cab.”- – – -Contact Drew Belle Zerby at [email protected]