Officials were expected to announce yesterday that transit access to Campus Drive would be restricted during the summer, but administrators decided to postpone making an official move until they receive feedback on the initiative.
The pilot program will likely still take place, Vice President of Administrative Affairs Ann Wylie said, but the administration wants to first determine what problems the university community would encounter if Campus Drive were restricted, eliminating all vehicle traffic except for two Shuttle-UM routes. If the experimental move to turn the area around Stamp Student Union into a pedestrian-only zone were to be implemented, the pilot program would begin June 19 and end Aug. 13, after which administrators would discuss and determine the success of the test run. The proposal would restrict access from the traffic circle near the Campus Drive entrance to east of Cole Field House.
“We’re asking for input,” Wylie said. “I think all the people should let us know what issues they face, what problem they see with us doing this.”
Some critics of the plan worry that closing the busiest street on the campus would inconvenience everyone and could jeopardize plans to construct the Purple Line — a proposed light-rail system that would connect Metro lines from Bethesda to New Carrollton, linking Prince George’s and Montgomery counties — along the main road. Although students and state officials have supported a Campus Drive alignment for the Purple Line, administrators have remained in staunch opposition, instead supporting Preinkert Drive, where they say electromagnetic waves emitted from the rail system would be less likely to interfere with scientific research.
“It’s kind of an underhanded way of [the administration] trying to get their way with the Purple Line,” said David Daddio, co-founder of the blog Rethink College Park.
Officials from the Maryland Transit Administration could not be reached for comment.
Student Government Association Director of Environmental Affairs Joanna Calabrese said restricting access to Campus Drive would force traffic away from some of the most central locations on the campus, creating a major inconvenience and possibly discouraging use of public transportation to get around the area.
“How did this get passed in 2001 and again in 2007?” Calabrese asked. “Anyone that has a degree in urban design would know you just don’t restrict access to primary destinations.”
Wylie noted the decision to shut down Campus Drive during the summer comes from the administration’s desire to know whether or not the restriction of transit should be included in the updated version of the University Master Plan, which will be presented to the Board of Regents in 2011.
Under the proposal, many of the Shuttle-UM buses would be rerouted to stop at Regents Drive Garage, where students would then have the ability to transfer to an inter-campus loop connector to reach the buildings around Campus Drive, she said.
“By making the buses stop at Regents Drive, you put alternative transportation on an equal footing with an automobile,” Calabrese said. “Why would anyone choose to take a bus? The only reason you would take transit is if it’s more convenient — it’s common sense.”
Making Regents Drive a transportation hub will only be feasible during the summer months, Wylie said. If restricted access to Campus Drive were to take effect permanently, the administration would have to choose another station to use as the central hub for on-campus shuttles.
Limiting through traffic on Campus Drive is not a new plan. The 20-year-old initiative has been included in the university’s Facilities Master Plan, which was last updated in 2007, Wylie wrote in an e-mail.
In the meantime, Wylie said, the administration is looking for feedback about the initiative before making any final decisions regarding the pilot program.
korkut at umdbk dot com
