For college students, a reliable form of transportation is one of the most important things to consider but is often overlooked. With campuses of various sizes all across the world, there are many types often used such as buses, bicycles and shuttle services. Some schools have perfected bringing students from one point of campus to another while others need to find a new way or at least improve their current systems. I will be discussing how La Salle University could improve their integrated transportation, along with some of the implications that would arise.
With classes about to end and a new year ahead next fall, a question of concern is coming from students, especially from those living in La Salle University’s South Campus. If one is concerned about being late for their class, there is a shuttle service provided by La Salle that can get a student from A to B in a flash. Or so we’ve been told. Still, La Salle University’s transportation system on campus could be improved for students, staff and the environment.
The shuttle’s locations can be viewed on a link on La Salle’s very own phone app, which is available for both Apple and Android devices. The app shows the times in which the shuttle should be arriving at certain stops, which includes St. Neumann Hall Dorms on South campus, Olney Transportation Center, the North Dorms on North campus and even the Shoppes at La Salle. So what's the concern? From personal experiences, I've seen on the app that the shuttle would be arriving at say 8:52, when it actually arrives at 8:54. When this might not seem like a big deal, to a student worrying about being tardy for class, it could seem like the end of the world. What seems like a flawless transportation system is actually full of faults and holes that could add up to something that could be described as disastrous.
From fellow students, I've heard complaints ranging from the shuttle drivers taking too much time at one stop, to shuttles completely skipping over others when a student is approaching in hopes of catching a ride. Charles Kelly, a freshman living at St. Neumann Hall, talked about a certain situation he was recently in.
“I was approaching the shuttle when the driver decided to just speed off, so I was late for class by ten minutes,” he said.
Some will even complain about how the shuttles are too uncomfortable because of ripped up seats and aisles that are too small to squeeze through, especially when someone is sitting at the edge of the row.
Recently, new vans have been seen transporting students across campus. They are now more comfortable and even have better sound systems within. The administration has announced that next semester, there will be more shuttles coming in. They seem to be aesthetically pleasing to students, and people coming to the school for tours and events on campus. It is about time to retire some of the older shuttles and replace them with eco-friendlier alternatives. While this may seem like a big improvement, we still hope for a more efficient and improved system for getting students to their classes.
After going around campus and asking various students and staff members, I've come to a conclusion on what most of the students might be looking for in terms of improving the school’s transportation. Some of these solutions include rentable bikes, which are becoming more abundant in the city of Philadelphia and, with a little adaptation, could be used by students in and around our campus. The system would be an eco-friendly solution to the complaints of students who are disappointed with the current transportation system. Instead of getting in a shuttle and having to wait for two more minutes before leaving, they could just swipe their ID and get a bike to pedal to their next class. One would not own a specific bike, but instead, they would just pick one, get to their class, and park it at a station in front of their building, then another student could swipe their card at the station and select the same bike.
If all goes according to plan, and hopefully it does, then we could be doing our part in taking care of the planet and could also be getting a good look in the media. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a bike share program called “B-Cycle” was introduced to the campus in 2014. This program led to 22 percent of students to start biking to and from class. Some of the features included letting students join at a discounted rate, free bike valet parking on game days and even a bike resource center that would hand out manuals, repair kits, maps and free tools for tune ups.
With various enhancements available to be added to the transportation system, there are many questions as to why the school hasn’t considered pushing them. For instance, many students are already concerned with how expensive tuition is. At $56,000, students expect an approximate breakdown for exactly what all of the money is going towards.
During an interview with another student, Dwayne Lloyd, a freshman at La Salle University living in the south dorms, said he would either be willing to pay more for a more efficient system or would participate in fundraisers, but also expected it to already be suitable for students in relation to the price range.
Another reason why they may not be pushing to fix this issue is that La Salle has a very small campus compared to others. As stated on La Salle’s campus page, “The University’s main campus is situated on 133 park-like acres in Northwest Philadelphia, six miles from the cultural, historic, and social attractions of Center City.” It is essentially a 10-minute walk, or shuttle ride, to the Olney Transportation Center, which would be able to take a student to center city in about 15 minutes. Compared to other universities in Philadelphia, including Temple University at 382 acres and the University of Pennsylvania at 302 acres. With such a small campus that has everything close together, why hasn’t there been a change?
With great power comes great responsibility. In this case, some problems may arise with the different types of transportation. Not that they disprove or totally ruin the ideas, but to show that not every solution is perfect, here are some of the drawbacks. For instance, the number of bike related incidents in Philadelphia from 2014 was just about 551. This does not, however, make the bike program into a bad idea. To avoid a large number of incidents, bike lanes could be added throughout the campus and it would not only help students, but also the huge population that resides in the area.
La Salle University is a medium sized college, known for famous graduates, such as Tom Gola, Peter Boyle and even Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe Bryant. It is a school where people go to get education, experience adult life and find out what they are going to do in the future. Although there are some drawbacks like a transportation system that could use a little bit of improving, the school is still one of the best colleges in the region. In the future, the administration plans on renovating and expanding the campus. Other areas that are currently being improved include the library, multiple residential areas, the cafeterias and other buildings. As for now, it is important to look at the bright side knowing that everyone at La Salle is offered a huge amount of help when it comes to picking the right major or finding the perfect job.
