Monday, March 12, 2007
A bill that asked students to approve a fee increase of $3 per semester to fund SafeBus was tabled at Student Senate committees on March 7.
SafeBus, much like services offered at Texas and Iowa State, could provide a safe ride home for students on Friday and Saturday nights. The bus would be an alternative to SafeRide.
SafeBus could not only take students home from their nightlife activities but also take them there.
“It’s convenient for students who don’t have cars and don’t always have a way out,” said Tom Cox, Shawnee junior and the bill’s author.
Three routes laid out by the Lawrence Bus Company run buses on Kentucky and Tennessee streets, and by Campus Court at Naismith, Meadowbrook, Daisy Hill, GSP-Corbin Hall and many sororities and fraternities. The buses would also travel by Massachusetts Street.
The buses could have designated stops similar to those used during the school day.
“We may have some new stops made, but they would have to be approved by the city,” said Cox.
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We’re concerned about liability, FTA regulations, safety, cost analysis, camera pricing options, support/acceptance from administration, a written plan for addressing safety concerns, security personnel cost on buses plus regulations.
-Jessica Mortinger, Hays senior
Safebus would not run during the summer because of the lack of students in Lawrence, Cox said.
The bill was tabled in Senate committees because of a variety of concerns.
Jessica Mortinger, Hays senior and Transportation Board chairwoman said there were still things to be worked out before SafeBus would be run at the University.
The board discussed the bill only days before it went to committees, and were left with many questions.
“We’re concerned about liability, FTA regulations, safety, cost analysis, camera pricing options, support/acceptance from administration, a written plan for addressing safety concerns, security personnel cost on buses plus regulations,” Mortinger said.
SafeBus was proposed as an election platform for Ignite last spring. Because Ignite dissolved earlier this semester, Cox will be running with Delta Force this spring.
Cox said that he planned to petition the committees by collecting 1,000 signatures by March 14.
If Cox collects the signatures, a referendum asking students to approve a $3 increase to the SafeRide fee will be put on the ballot for the elections on April 11 and 12.
If Cox is unable to collect the needed signatures, the bill will not go on the ballot this spring. The next opportunity to take SafeBus to a student vote would be next year, pushing back implementation to Fall 2008.
It was just a matter of getting student support for funding and securing a contractor to provide the service, Cox said.
Kate Kingsbery, Boulder, Colo., junior, said SafeBus was a good idea.
“It would cut down on drunk driving and you could plan your night around the bus route,” Kingsbery said.
Sara DeLine, Lincoln, Neb., junior, shared Kingsbery’s ideas about SafeBus.
“Due to the lack of public transportation, there aren’t a lot of options to get home,” DeLine said.
Kansan staff writer Ashlee Kieler can be contacted at akieler@kansan.com.
— Edited by Katie Sullivan
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