Increased congestion around The Yard draws criticism from students
Experiencing the forced intimacy of a packed LX bus during rush hour is practically a rite of passage at Rutgers.
Rutgers students take up to 70,000 bus trips each day, according to a proposal by Jack Molenaar, director of the Department of Transportation Services. But since the start of the semester, students and faculty have noticed that the buses, particularly the LX, EE, F, A and H, have become more delayed, crowded and unreliable.
The Yard opened its doors at the start of the Fall 2016 semester and since then College Avenue has seen a drastic increase in the number of students visiting and utilizing the area around the Scott Hall bus stop, said Christopher Paladino, president of the New Brunswick Development Corporation.
“The Yard has already found its place as an exciting and interactive focal point of the College Ave Campus. Students, faculty, staff and the members of the greater New Brunswick community have visited the area to watch movies, ball games, participate in lessons or just to grab lunch and listen to music,” Paladino said.
Paladino, who played a role in predicting the Yard's impact on the area around Lot 8 where it is located, said the complex was created with the goal of minimizing congestion.
It was purposely built without a parking area to avoid vehicular traffic and underwent full review with the New Brunswick Planning Board to ensure that it met the standards put forward by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Paladino said.
“Additionally, Rutgers and the City of New Brunswick have continued to explore pedestrian improvements, enhanced bike lanes and limited on street parking to further reduce congestion and enhance pedestrian safety and the pedestrian experience,” he said.
Since the start of the 2016 semester the buses have been more inconsistent and unreliable than ever, said Maria Canales, a School of Arts and Sciences junior.
“The problem is not just that the buses are delayed, the buses simply are not showing up,” said Canales, recounting day last week where she waited for more than 45 minutes for an H bus.
The “dramatic increase” in delays have led some students to resort to Uber or Lyft to get to class on time, she said.
Canales said she used Lyft on her first day of classes because one of the buses took too long to arrive and she would have been late for class if she had waited for the bus to arrive.
Joshua Perez, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, is also experiencing more difficulty getting on the buses this semester.
He believes there is a connection between the increased traffic and the number of students using facilities around The Yard.
“There's just a lot more congestion concentrated right around Scott Hall," he said. "All of the buses to and from College Avenue are packed, which makes it really hard to get onto them."
The tag “Rutgers Buses” shows students complaining of long waits, inaccurate time estimates on the Rutgers app and the forced use of alternative forms of transportation.
Take a shot every the Rutgers app lies about the buses
Die from alcohol poisoning— Julie Ratanpara (@julie_ratanpara) September 21, 2016
Rutgers' business model of adding students and removing buses doesnt seem to be working
— Bony (@Doctor_Bony) September 19, 2016
Rutgers buses be like "bus arriving in 12 seconds or 3 hours"
— em (@emilystrich) September 22, 2016
Kira Herzog is a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore majoring in political science and journalism and media studies. She is a contributing writer for The Daily Targum. Follow her on Twitter @kiraherzog1 for more.
