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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
JULY 20 - JULY 26, 2005
TRAFFIC AND PARKING
ask force seeks solution to campus congestion
By LIZ NARTOWICZ
lnartowicz@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
A University of Kansas task force is investigating several options to decrease traffic and parking congestion on campus.
The task force, comprising of students, staff, faculty and city officials, is considering collaboration between KU on Wheels and Lawrence Public Transit, among other options.
After receiving a recommendation from a recent parking study, David Shulenburger, executive vice chancellor and provost, appointed the task force in May to research possibilities to combat the congestion.
One problem the task force is zeroing in on is the expansion of West Campus. Danny Kaiser, assistant dean of students and chairman of the task force, said campus congestion would increase because more students and staff would have to commute from the main campus to West Campus.
Kaiser said it was important to begin exploring ways to manage the congestion before it increased, because implementing modifications or a new system would take at least two years.
Kaiser said the task force was in the preliminary stages of adapting KU on Wheels and was concentrating on reviewing transit systems in other college cities. The task force is examining five universities, including Iowa State, which recently merged its campus bus system with the community's.
The task force will also consider merging KU on Wheels with Lawrence Public Transit, Kaiser said. He said it was not the only possibility the task force was considering.
Blake Huff, transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, said there were both benefits and setbacks to merging with Lawrence Public Transit. Benefits would include increased efficiency, lack of duplicating routes and receiving federal funding, Huff said.
Lawrence Public Transit is federally funded, whereas KU on Wheels is sustained solely by student fees. If the two systems merged, the cost for students to ride the bus could decrease, Huff said.
He said a long-term goal for the task force was to have KU on Wheels be free to students, regardless of a merger.
If KU on Wheels were to merge with Lawrence Public Transit, the University would have to upgrade all of the University's busses. In order to receive federal funding, the University's busses must be in agreement with The Americans with Disabilities Act, Kaiser said. Currently, KU's busses are not ADA-approved.
As an alternative, the task force will evaluate the possibility of collaborating with Lawrence Public Transit. Through collaboration, KU on Wheels may be able to receive some federal funding while remaining a separate system. This option would allow the University to keep its unique position of having a student-run transportation system.
"Students have complete control over the routes right now," Huff said. "They decide what is needed."
Mike Wildgen, Lawrence city manager, said he thought students would not want to give up their control. He said the fact that the two systems focused on two different populations might be an issue the task force would need to face.
Kaiser said he expected the task force to select a model and present it to the parking commission by the end of August.
— Edited by Erin M. Droste
At approximately 10 a.m. July 19, students and faculty in Wescoe Hall had to evacuate because of a water pressure fluctuation that set off the building's fire alarm. The evacuation caused the students and teachers to remain outside the building for about 35 to 40 minutes before local firefighters gave them permission to re-enter the building.
CAMPUS
Fire alarms interrupt exams in Wescoe Hall
Mark Bradford, Douglas County deputy fire chief, said the alarm was automatically set off by a rise or fall in water pressure somewhere in the building.
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Many students were relieved that the evacuation changed their daily school routines, including some of the Spanish classes held in Wescoe Hall that were scheduled to have exams during the time of the evacuation.
"I was supposed to be taking a Spanish test and now I won't have to take it until tomorrow, more time to prepare is always nice," Cyrus Dayani, Overland Park senior, said.
Rory Flynn