Proposal would eliminate several bus stops starting in fall

Route change may result in many seeking alternatives to riding the bus

By Francesca Chambers

Monday, March 10, 2008

More than 15 students showed up Thursday night to express grievances about the Parking and Transit Commission’s proposal to eliminate some bus stops from next school year’s route.

May Davis, Clay Center sophomore and transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, said decreasing the number of buses and eliminating stops from routes was an inconvenience to some students, but it was the only way to keep student fees down.

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“We have to look at what we’re doing here and if we are offering a limo service or a bus system to take them from their door to Wescoe,” Davis said.

The routes affected by the proposal would be: 31st and Iowa, 24th and Ridgecourt, Naismith and Oliver, Second and Michigan and Night Campus Express routes. It also proposed to add a second bus to the Sixth and Crestline route. By changing the routes, the commission would eliminate the use of one bus overall, which would save KU on Wheels about $80,000 a year.

Proposed changes to the 31st and Iowa route

Two buses currently travel this route, which begins at GSP-Corbin Hall and heads to the Campus Court at Naismith apartment complex and The Reserve before returning to GSP.

The commission has proposed that one 31st and Iowa bus travel only from The Reserve to Park and Ride instead. Students on the 31st and Iowa bus would then take the Park and Ride bus to campus.

Davis said it currently took students who lived at The Reserve 30 minutes to reach campus; the new route would also take 30 minutes.

Margretta de Vries, secretary to the Parking and Transit Commission, said two more buses would be added to the Park and Ride system to accommodate the influx of students. Stephanie Patyk, Wichita junior, resident at Campus Court at Naismith, said if she lived at The Reserve, instead of buying a bus pass, she would just buy a parking pass and park on campus next year.

Austin Kelly, Lawrence senior and student body treasurer, said he did not think the route change would be effective. He said students who lived at The Reserve might as well park in the Park and Ride lot because that would cost less than riding the bus.

Currently Park and Ride passes cost $205 and includes a bus pass. Year-round bus passes cost $140. The commission has proposed that next year Park and Ride passes would cost $100 but would not include a bus pass.

However, the Park and Ride bus does not travel to the Kansas Union. Students who bought a pass for the Park and Ride lot instead of a bus pass would have to walk to the Kansas Union from Bailey or pay $1 to ride there on a different bus.

24th and Ridgecourt Route/ Naismith and Oliver

This route currently has two buses. The route begins at the Kansas Union, runs through campus to the Campus Court at Naismith apartment complex. Then, it heads southwest to Holcom Park Recreation Center, where it turns around and returns to campus. After it reaches the Kansas Union, the bus loops downtown to New Jersey Street and Indiana Street before it heads back to the Kansas Union.

Next year, this route would have three buses because it would take over what is currently the Naismith and Oliver Bus route. It would begin at GSP and run through campus to Oliver Hall. Then it would travel to the Campus Court at Naismith complex, before returning to GSP.

This route would be unlike the current Naismith and Oliver route, which turns around at 21st and Oushdahl Road instead and then returns to GSP. It would also cut out the downtown section of 24th and Ridgecourt’s route. The Second and Michigan bus would travel downtown instead.

Margaret Mahoney, Colorado Springs law student, said she knew a lot of students and community members who rode the 24th and Ridgecourt bus downtown. She said changing the route would inconvenience them because they would have to pay another $1 to ride the Second and Michigan bus downtown if they did not have a pass.

Davis disagreed. She said transfer slips are available on the University’s buses and students could transfer from one bus to another after paying the initial $1.

2nd and Michigan

This route currently has two buses and would continue to have two buses. The route travels from McCollum Hall to the Kansas Union, and stops at Hawks Pointe 1 and Highpointe Apartments. It then takes Sixth Street east to Michigan Street and travels north to Northwinds Apartments before returning to McCollum.

Next year, this route would begin at the Kansas Union and travel the downtown part of what used to be the 24th and Ridgecourt route before heading north on Kentucky Street and west on Sixth Street. It would then take Michigan Street north and turn around on Second Street, cutting Northwinds apartments out of its route. From Second Street, it would travel its old route back to campus until it reached Ninth Street. From there it would take Emery road to West Campus Road and proceed through campus back to the Kansas Union.

Emily Minion, Overland Park junior who lives at Northwinds Apartments, said she did not think students who lived at Hawks Pointe 1 and Highpointe Apartments would be happy with the route change. She said because the Second and Michigan bus would travel downtown, it could take students who lived at those complexes an hour to get home.

Davis said she thought getting students to class quickly was more important than getting them home quickly.

Jane Turner, Lawrence sophomore, who lives on the Second and Michigan route, said getting home in a timely matter was important to students who had jobs. She said she would rather miss a class or be late to class than to be late to work.

Minion said that if Northwinds Apartments were cut out of the new route she would have to walk about three blocks to the new stop. She said it would take the bus five extra minutes to stop at the apartments.

Aaron Quisenberry, associate director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, said he understood students’ concerns, but that the commission had to eliminate stops that had low ridership.

“If you would chose to live at an apartment complex or a house where there is no bus, you might have to make a tough decision to move to an area where a bus route might be more dependable,” Quisenberry said.

Mahoney said she knew that the route changes would save the University money and that she would be tempted to not ride the bus if the proposed changes took effect.

“I’m not going to go spend $1,000 to move because you guys are going to change the route,” Mahoney said.

Night Campus Express

The Night Campus Express route would no longer travel down Engel Road. In addition, it would no longer take Naismith Road directly to Campus Court at Naismith. The bus would no longer stop at the Student Recreation Fitness Center or Daisy Hill.

Davis said the commission did not want to get rid of the Night Campus Express bus even though it had low ridership because of safety concerns for students who take night classes.

Davis said the Park and Ride bus would stop on Daisy Hill at the Lawrence Transit bus stop between Hashinger and Ellsworth Halls at night in place of the Night Campus Express. She said if students who lived in the residence halls on Daisy Hill wanted to take the Night Campus Express downtown they would have to transfer from Park and Ride to the Express at Bailey Hall.

Students at the meeting were pleased with this change. Patyk said she agreed with it because she had never seen anyone get on the Night Campus Express at the Recreation Center.

Conclusions

Vries said by eliminating stops and buses from other routes, the commission would be helping students by adding a bus to the Sixth and Crestline route.

The commission will not make any decisions regarding route changes until April, after next year’s service provider has been decided.

— Edited by Daniel Reyes

Comments

sjschlag (anonymous) says...

I'm certain that making the 31st and Iowa bus route even more inconvenient to use will only further encourage students to drive onto campus. You want to see more people buy more bus passes? make the routes faster and more convenient to use. This new route planning will only discourage people to use our bus system which we already spend so much money on.

Making the 2nd and Michigan route go through downtown will also have a negative effect on ridership. Students really do want to go home fast. Loops are an innefficient way to design bus routes, unless there are buses going in both directions. I don't like riding the bus if it goes way out of its way and takes longer to get home.

March 11, 2008 at 4:24 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

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