Senior English major
The recent announcement that the Maryland Transit Administration was beginning construction on the Purple Line, a light rail that cuts through the center of this campus, has produced mixed responses. Many argue the development will complicate the traffic flow on the campus and create dangerous situations for students. Despite these concerns, the advantages of this project greatly outweigh its problems.
The most obvious advantage to the Purple Line is the ease with which commuter students will be able to access the campus. The light rail line is set to run through Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. This will provide commuter students with an easy form of public transportation and the option of taking an environmentally friendly system to classes and other on-campus functions.
As a result of the Purple Line, there will be fewer cars on the campus, potentially easing traffic flow. Anybody stuck trying to leave the campus during the post-class rush knows this would be a huge benefit. Parking likely also will improve with the addition of the Purple Line. It can be almost impossible to find parking spaces during the day when visiting the campus, so providing an alternative to car travel will improve this issue. Parking at local restaurants and businesses will clear up as well if people coming from other areas can avoid driving and simply hop on the Purple Line.
Traffic during football game days will be improved greatly with the addition of the Purple Line. Campus Drive will be turned into a three-lane street, with the middle lane headed westbound on regular days. On game days, however, this traffic may be reversed to ease the exodus from Byrd Stadium. Massive traffic during game days will also decrease with the Purple Line running through the campus, as fans will be able to use off-campus parking or avoid driving altogether. Increased access to the campus will allow more fans to attend sporting events. This boost in attendance will benefit the school and local businesses heading into the Big Ten era.
Moreover, many students have difficulties reaching shopping malls, grocery stores and restaurants outside the Route 1 corridor without access to a car. The Purple Line will allow these students to make trips to these locations more easily. Visiting the many historical landmarks in the area will become easier than it already is.
While any project of this size will certainly have its disadvantages, with the Purple Line, the good far surpasses the bad. Students and community members alike will reap the benefits of the Purple Line light rail once it has been constructed. For all those who are opposed to the new Metro line, I say: Get onboard.
Dave Stroh is a senior English major. He can be reached at dstrohdbk@gmail.com.
