Shuttle routes impeded by construction

Students who catch the shuttle may run into a few roadblocks for the next weeks that are out of the hands of public safety officials.

Continuing construction is causing shuttles to take alternate routes around campus, adding 10 to 12 minutes per run.

“[The construction] has changed the route for the campus shuttle the most,” Shuttle Supervisor Darryl Richardson said. “We have to stop at East Macintosh Street and then go to Wayne Street and go back up. That’s why we have the large delay because it’s having to go all the way back around.”

Freshman Bridgette Sowers lives in Parkhurst and rides the shuttles frequently. She said the transportation route change is a noticeable time difference.

“When I go back to the dorms, it takes a lot longer to go around Herty and all that. It takes about five or ten minutes longer,” Sowers said.

According to Richardson, the delays are causing students who have limited time frames with classes at both Herty and Centennial to be late to class.

Richardson said traffic lights and heavy traffic on alternate routes are also contributing to the increase in time needed for shuttles to get around campus.

The shuttles currently have limited access to the student activity center and front campus, and public safety officials are unsure when the regular routes will resume. Richardson said he has not been notified with a schedule for the downtown construction.

“The time frame I heard was four weeks,” Richardson said. “My agenda is

transporting students where they need to be and it would help if I knew where the construction will be so I can select alternate routes. My concern is inclement weather and how much that will delay completion of the construction that’s being done.”

Illegally parked vehicles on Jackson Street and West Greene Street have also caused problems with routes because the newer and larger shuttles cannot fit down these streets. Starting this week, a shuttle will run until midnight on Sundays to encourage students to begin parking at the Irwin Street parking lot.

Students who return to Milledgeville late on Sundays reported that they would use the Irwin Street parking lot instead of parking illegally in front of the residence halls if transportation were provided from the lot back to campus, Richardson said.

“If you’re not going to use your vehicle during the week, Irwin Street is a good place to put it,” Richardson said. “We’ve got more than adequate patrols and cars are as safe there as anywhere.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 15 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry