It has been announced that effective today, the Boston College shuttle will no longer stop opposite South Street, as a result of students "stickering" the lobby of a nearby building. If the incident involved only 1992 Commonwealth Ave., there are several obvious options, all of them preferable to cutting out the stop. First and foremost of those options is to stop some distance away from 1992, perhaps near 2000 Commonwealth Ave.
Another simple solution would be to donate to the city of Brighton a bus shelter capable of shielding students from the elements. This would remove from students the need to go into a building for warmth. My last and perhaps most obvious suggestion would be to simply increase the frequency of the buses. This can be easily accomplished one of three ways. First, a bus can be shifted from Newton service and put onto Commonwealth Ave. Secondly, the 5-15 minute delay at the Robsham Theater stop can be eliminated. This lag does not occur anywhere else, and while it may normalize time between buses at on campus stops, it creates a delay on the shuttle having global ramifications for the entire route. Thirdly, new buses can be added to the BC fleet and put into service on Commonwealth Avenue. Actually, the best solution yet is to take all three suggestions. Move the stop away slightly from 1992, donate a shelter, and add more buses. That would solve the problem of loitering of students at 1992, the suffering of students at the hands of the elements, and the long wait at the stops (sometimes in excess of 20 minutes).
In December, during the blizzard that crippled the BC shuttle service, about which we received no notice from BC and despite the working condition of the MBTA, the sidewalks were neither plowed nor sanded and were thus inaccessible. (In fact it's still quite treacherous to walk to Greycliff.) To get to campus, one either took the train or walked in the middle of the street, as I, along with a number of other BC students, had to do. Should another event shut down the shuttles, we would be placed in a similar and equally dangerous situation. For a school that is so committed to the safety and well being of its students, that the university would force us to walk in the middle of Commonwealth Avenue, in inclement weather, with our backs to oncoming traffic, is not only deplorable, but legally reprehensible. BC should be concerned about the safety of its students at all times, not just when on its own property. I recall hearing about a student who was struck approximately two years ago attempting to walk home because the buses were not running.
When another snow and or ice event occurs, students heading for South Street will have that much further to go. Should another student be struck because they are forced to walk in the middle of Commonwealth Avenue as a result of both impassable sidewalks and an eliminated bus stop, it would reflect back upon BC, and questions regarding the actual cause of the elimination of the South Street Stop could be raised.
Regardless of the status of the sidewalks, the elimination of the outgoing South Street stop places more students along Commonwealth Avenue. Given the recent incidences of indecent exposure along Commonwealth Avenue, why would the university choose to expose additional students to further risk? Less than a month ago the BCPD called for increased vigilance when on Commonwealth Avenue, and yet now it seems that students are being placed into precisely the situation that we were so recently cautioned against.
As a frequent patron of the South Street stop, I have noticed over the past few months a continual decline in the performance of the Commonwealth Avenue bus. When one considers first the "request only" system implemented last semester, and then the complete elimination of the South Street stop, it seems unlikely that it is the result of a "sticker incident." Furthermore, it has been my observation that only a small fraction of the vast number of students who use the outgoing South Street stop do so to embark; it is instead an extremely popular disembarkation stop. It would seem that the elimination of the South Street stop is instead a cost cutting or time saving action, in which case, I sincerely hope that no more students are struck on Commonwealth Avenue. To face such a fate at all is tragic, but to be forced into such a situation, be it due to a stickering incident, a cost cutting, or time saving measure by our own university, is beyond tragedy. The misdeeds of a few should not endanger the lives of the many.
Brian Zaccheo is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences.
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