After reading some of Lindsay's advocacy projects concerning using other means of transportation to reduce air pollution, it made me think about how transportation is handled around campuses like UMD.
I live at Boulder Ridge Apartments on Rice Lake Road near UMD. The reason why I decided to live here is because they have a separate shuttle created for Boulder Ridge/Campus Park students to use. They also have a bus stop for the DTA, so we can use this route of transportation, too. I think it's a great way to travel to and from UMD since parking is so limited there.
While I love the fact that I reduce the amount of driving I do every week by taking the bus, I find it difficult to actually ride the bus sometimes. Whether going to and from school, sometimes the bus is so packed, I'm surprised the bus drivers can even fit all the students on it! I also have to deal with rushing to the bus after a class just so I can make it to the bus before it leaves (the bus will sometimes leave early if it is too full).
My question to you readers is this: Do you think this is a problem to be concerned about? Should Boulder Ridge provide more transportation for all the students needing to go to and from class?
Thinking about this topic is difficult to me. On one side, we are eliminating the amount of vehicles being driven and air pollution by having just two shuttle buses every hour. One the other hand, sometimes it gets so crowded that it sometimes is difficult to take the shuttle.
Another issue I always think about when it comes to driving vehicles and UMD parking is whether or not UMD should spend the money to create more parking spaces for students. Should we have more spaces to provide even more cars the ability to park on campus? Should we have more opportunities for students to ride the DTA or other shuttles so they don't have to drive to campus? Or should we simply make those who drive "suffer" the difficulty of parking, paying for meters, or paying to park in the pay lot?
Let me know what you guys think!
I think there should be more ways for people to take the DTA and more stops maybe? I don't think more parking should be made at UMD, because that is way more air pollution and just encouraging to the already growing problem there is. Good points and questions to bring up though!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Niki, that this is a tough topic to think about. Personally I think offering more public transportation is always a good idea. Granted, more buses running means more pollution and more gas being used, but on the other hand it seems as though it would have to be better to run an extra bus if it means eliminating a dozen or so cars being driven.
ReplyDeleteHowever, public transportation does have disadvantages that sometimes can't be over come. As you say, if the bus runs out of seats and you miss your bus, then that could pose some serious consequences if there's no second bus for some time. Also, it can be awkward to travel in public transportation if you have to bring a lot of belongings with you on a daily basis.
Then there are people like me. There is no bus for my situation, and when one travels as far as I do, even if there were it could create more of a challenge than I'm willing to navigate. But, parking for commuter students like myself can also be so irritating. There are few things worse than driving over an hour and a half then having to pee really bad and having no open parking spaces within a ten minute walk of a bathroom. Not to mention having paid for an expensive parking tag but ending up feeding a meter because that's the only place available with out a hike in the rain, sleet, sub zero weather with 30+ pounds of laptop, books, lunch, accessories and a bladder that feels like it's going to explode.
I think this will long be an agonizing conundrum. There's no one size fits all easy solution. However, if I lived in the city, I would definitely support public transportation.
Those are all great questions. As far as parking goes on campus, the school probably just shouldn't give out as many parking passes. That is part of the problem with parking on campus. There are way more passes then places to park. I think having more buses would be better. Then students would not need to drive or be packed into a bus. I agree with Cole though, there is no one right way to fix this problem.
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