This semester, the shuttle bus stop is now picking up and dropping off students at 12th and Berks instead of on 13th Street in front of the Paley Library, a change that Temple University Facilities Management believes is necessary.
Construction to expand the Student Activities Center and the eventual demolition of Curtis Hall, both located on 13th Street, were determining factors as to why the main bus stop has been relocated.
“We didn’t want the buses being held up because of the construction on 13th Street,” Tom Dinardo, director of support services at facilities management, said. “We didn’t want any inconsistencies because of steel deliveries. We had to change.”
Dinardo said that the Student Activities Center will double in size to include more meeting rooms for school organizations, a movie theater, and a game room. Additionally, Curtis Hall will be demolished after this academic year so that the Fox School of Business and Management can be expanded.
Some students wonder why the bus stop has been relocated to 12th and Berks, an area that has heavy traffic flow, due to students crossing the street to or from Anderson and Gladfelter Halls.
“We didn’t want to move to Cecil B. Moore because we felt that it wasn’t safe enough,” Dinardo said. “The only problem we seem to have [at 12th and Berks] is the traffic. However, the police have been doing a good job to get things moving.”
The facilities management team is currently shopping for a package to install shelters for the students waiting for the shuttles at 12th and Berks. Some of the fencing that surrounds the lawn at Paley Library will be taken down to accommodate the shelters.
Senior Wudasse Caveaou takes classes at the Ambler campus and has been using the Temple Shuttle Services for the past four years that she has been here.
“I don’t like the new stop because it’s very inconvenient,” said Caveaou. “If someone has classes at Vivacqua Hall, they will have to run to the stop. The old stop was right in the center of everything. It was more convenient.”
Cleo Herr, a Franklin House shuttle driver, likes the 12th and Berks stop more because of the decrease in traffic. Because of the stop changes, however, he has to take a longer route every time he travels to Franklin House and back.
“Sometimes we’re not on schedule, and we have to get students to class on time,” said Herr. “We are expected to make a round to Franklin House and back in thirty minutes, and we have trouble doing it sometimes.”
The change will persist while construction is still going on 13th Street. Dinardo believes that students will adjust with it over time.
“What typically happens in the beginning of the semester is that we get some complaints,” he said. “Once we get well into the semester, everything will fall into place. Students will fall into a pattern.”
Diana Huynh can be reached at dhuynh@temple.edu.
Be the first to comment