Wednesday, February 7, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
7
Packed Daisy Hill buses cause safety concerns
By Amanda Beglin
writer @kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
At 2:20 p.m. on a Wednesday, hundreds of Daisy Hall-bound students migrate toward the bus as it arrives at Snow Hall.
The bus fills to the front windshield with passengers and backpacks — a spectacle to anyone who sees it — and an annoyance to the people it passes at later stops when it has no remaining space.
These brimming buses are a problem, said Holly Krebs, campus transportation coordinator.
Krebs said the large bus capacity was 70 passengers, but Bob Gibbons, a bus driver for the McCollum route, said he recorded nearly 80 passengers on his bus after it left Snow Hall at 2:33 p.m. yesterday.
Krebs and Gibbons agreed bus drivers could use their own discretion when loading students onto a bus, but Krebs said student safety was the most important consideration.
"If a driver sees they've picked up everyone from a stop but one, they can decide for themselves if they have enough room," Krebs said. "We've made an effort this school
year not to fill up buses quite as tight. We're trying to keep people behind the yellow line. If a driver stops suddenly, people could get hurt."
Krebs said student safety wasn't
lust in the hands of bus drivers.
"If students are considerate when they ride the bus - they don't push on or they grab a hand rail - things would be a lot smoother." Krebs said.
Gibbons agreed, adding one bus hazard didn't involve passengers but the students not riding buses.
"Lots of people will drive up and park at the fountain to let people out of their cars," Gibbons said. "They
Gibbons said his passengers were generally cooperative when riding his bus at peak hours.
don't realize how dangerous that is for us. They should be more cautious."
"I never have any trouble seeing around anyone." Gibbons said. "The students right in front of the door will lean back or move anyway when I look in their direction."
Krebs said the Lawrence Bus Company, who contracts with KU on Wheels, had supervisors follow buses every day, monitoring their safety in the event of an accident, she said, the contract that KU on
Wheels had with the bus company would protect KU on Wheels from liabilities.
But safety isn't the first thing or many students minds while they are waiting for the bus. A bus stopping at all would be a welcome occurrence to some Jayhawker Towers residents.
Amika Glikey, Wichita sophomore, is a resident of Jayhawker Towers, where she said catching a bus to Jayhawk Boulevard amid the morning student rush to class was frustrating at best.
Gilkey said seven or eight loaded buses passed her bus stop every morning without stopping, irritating
ner and the more than 10 people she waits with.
"I just can't catch a bus between 8 and 8:30." Gilkey said. "The only bus that stops usually for us is an 8:22 bus. My 8:30 class is at Wescow and I never get there on time."
Because of this, Gilkey said, she arrived at her bus stop at 7:45 a.m. when she was sure she could get a ride.
"I get mad, but I know everyone has to get to class," Glikey said. "And I'm not going to get mad at the bus drivers when I get on because they actually stopped."
— Edited by Melinda Weaver
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