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!
