UIUC ADMIN OUT OF STUDENT TOUCH
Check out the News-Gazette, especially UI Trustee Shah's and Herman's comments:
Here is a little glimpse:
Shah was outraged that a pedestrian hit by an MTD bus in March had been ticketed for failure to yield, and he said he was concerned that pedestrians were being ticketed since Ms. Channick's death, but he hadn't heard enough about enforcement against drivers.
"The major responsibility for safety lies with drivers," Shah said.
UI Police Chief O.J. Clark said several hundred warnings have been issued to both drivers and pedestrians in the last few weeks, and police will soon begin handing out tickets instead of warnings.
Chancellor Richard Herman said while changes on campus streets a few years ago decreased the number of vehicles in the central part of campus, there is still too much traffic there.
"The basic issue is vehicles, without a doubt," he said. "While there are educational issues we can address with students, frankly we need to take steps to reduce the number of turns (by buses), decrease the number of buses, and we are undergoing an effort to remove bus traffic from the center of campus to the extent we can."
The UI also wants to decrease the number of buses.
"Students are going to have to decide how much inconvenience they'll bear to be safe," he [Herman] said, adding that reducing the bus service too much might just encourage more students to drive on campus.
Call it what you want, but how come the students weren't asked for their input and take. This is typical mommy and daddy service from the U of I administration. We can make our own decisions and offer way better suggestions, just ask us!
Here is a little glimpse:
Shah was outraged that a pedestrian hit by an MTD bus in March had been ticketed for failure to yield, and he said he was concerned that pedestrians were being ticketed since Ms. Channick's death, but he hadn't heard enough about enforcement against drivers.
"The major responsibility for safety lies with drivers," Shah said.
UI Police Chief O.J. Clark said several hundred warnings have been issued to both drivers and pedestrians in the last few weeks, and police will soon begin handing out tickets instead of warnings.
Chancellor Richard Herman said while changes on campus streets a few years ago decreased the number of vehicles in the central part of campus, there is still too much traffic there.
"The basic issue is vehicles, without a doubt," he said. "While there are educational issues we can address with students, frankly we need to take steps to reduce the number of turns (by buses), decrease the number of buses, and we are undergoing an effort to remove bus traffic from the center of campus to the extent we can."
The UI also wants to decrease the number of buses.
"Students are going to have to decide how much inconvenience they'll bear to be safe," he [Herman] said, adding that reducing the bus service too much might just encourage more students to drive on campus.
Call it what you want, but how come the students weren't asked for their input and take. This is typical mommy and daddy service from the U of I administration. We can make our own decisions and offer way better suggestions, just ask us!
posted by Illinois Student Senate | 4:55 PM
6 Comments:
i can't believe they want to cut bus service now.
It doesn't even make sense. It is sad that the administration wanted to see the failed lowered speed limit initiative pass and after that crushing defeat they want to pass this other illogical initiative that cuts the number of busses. I do not see, logically, how decreasing number of busses is going to prevent or even affect the other numerous car-pedestrian accidents. Or even worse, how it would prevent/affect bus-pedestrian accidents. I don't think the busses that hit pedestrians were congested by other busses thus hitting students. But again, that thinking is with logic.
I don't think U of I is this stupid. Its that U of I just has beef with MTD. Now getting to the bottom of this rotten beef...........
Trustee brings laudable perspective
UIUC student senate out of touch with the world is more like it.
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Josh is referring to the actual posts, not the comments. Anybody is welcome to comment in whatever manner they like, but because ISS is composed of a large number of people with varied opinions and perspectives, it makes sense to clarify precisely which person affiliated with ISS is posting.
Seeing as those bus routes either a)bring students, staff, and faculty into campus or b)allow students on campus to move around quickly without cars, I don't see how reducing overall service would be bad. Yeah, a small trim here or there, plus a few reroutings would be good, but reductions aren't what's needed. Reducing bus service would increase vehicle traffic, which'd only make things worse.
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