Campus Transportation Committee Report

At the Campus Transportation Committee meeting last Friday, we mostly discussed the problem of snow removal. I had encouraged people to email me their concerns about the snow, accessibility concerns on sidewalks and with getting on and off buses, and I passed these letters on in advance to the Chairs of both the Bike/Ped Committee and the Campus Transportation Committee. We also talked about concerns brought up at previous meetings regarding Transportation Services over-selling permits in ramps, particularly in Grainger. Michael (my fellow student on the committee) talked about the possibility of doing a study on the efficiency of bus routes 80 and 85 on campus. Michael and I also have concerns with Transportation Services converting Wisconsin Department of Transportation handicapped parking spots to UW Handicapped parking spots where people have to apply and pay for a regular parking spot on campus. This seems to go against creating a welcoming climate for everyone, and it is discriminatory against students because students cannot generally apply for parking on Campus.

Following is a letter I sent this weekend. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know. Thanks, Jo.

Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2007 10:46:26 -0600
To: Robert Meyer <rrm@cs.wisc.edu>, Don Waller <dmwaller@wisc.edu>, "LUNSWAY, Lance" <LLUNSWAY@fpm.wisc.edu>
From: "J. Matzner" <matzner@cae.wisc.edu>
Subject: Regarding Statement on Campus Snow Clearance Efforts
Cc: "INGHAM, STEVEN C" <SCINGHAM@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU>, "PUDLOSKI, STEPHEN T" <PUDLOSKI@ENGR.WISC.EDU>

Dear Bob, Don, and Lance,

I don't know if you had the opportunity to read the press release on the Wisc.edu homepage that is titled, "Statement on campus snow clearance efforts" that was released yesterday. Here is the link in case you have not seen it. http://www.news.wisc.edu/14544

The article is most disappointing. It is filled with excuses as to why they did not do their job.
As Steve Pudloski said in the Campus Transportation meeting yesterday, the Public Works Commissioner in Milwaukee apologized to their citizens, http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=12/4/2007&id=32630. Steve also said that the person in charge of streets for Madison apologized as well. Steve spoke to the poor choices made by the people in charge, as he is an engineer with training in this area.

Mr. Harrod does not apologize in his press release. Not once does Mr. Harrod even say that they've learned from this experience or how they will be sure this does not happen again. As many of us felt at the Campus Transportation Committee meeting yesterday, the entire campus has struggled with budget cuts, and budget cuts, along with the other excuses stated in Harrod's press release is not and should not be a plan to keep us safe.

Maybe John Harrod, director of Physical Plant, could be invited to our next Campus Transportation Meeting and we could talk to him before we make recommendations for improvements. We could also invite the Bike/Ped Committee because this committee also has expressed major concerns and should be involved (I know Lance had concerns of overlap between the two committees). Don Waller and I believe that an ombudsman/ombudswoman (or even a couple, as Lance pointed out this is an overwhelming job for one person) is greatly needed on this vast and decentralized campus and could possibly be part of the solution.

Transportation Services encourages everyone on campus to take the bus. Even in our discussions regarding issues for handicapped parking spots, etc, Transportation Services has maintained that handicapped people must pay to park or take the bus just like everyone else. In this current system, though, where people were trudging through and falling numerous times to persevere to their destination, this was not even an option for folks with mobility concerns. It seems that if Transportation Services designs it's solution for campus congestion around bus transportation, then Transportation Services must ensure a better response for all the University community that depends on the bus system. That includes better coordination with all of it's partners, contractors and Madison Metro included.

If this is not possible, then maybe the University will need to close more often in order to handle the snow and give the snow removal crews time to make the campus safe. It is my understanding that the University does not like to close because it must pay everyone for a full day of work, greatly adding to the expense. This may not be the case though. I think this is an option that we did not consider in our meeting yesterday that should have been brought up as a possible option. Since the Chancellor is responsible for determining if, for the safety and welfare of students and staff, classes will be postponed or some services suspended due to inclement weather, I think Chancellor Wiley should also be invited to our next meeting along with Mr. Harrod so we can get a better understanding of the overall picture.

All of what I have discussed above is a very complicated issue, and clearly, the current status quo is unacceptable. I believe this is a situation where the Campus Transportation Committee and the Bike/Ped Committee should intervene and assist other units in coordinating a proper response. We have the Shared Governance authority to oversee this and our effort would be invaluable to campus.

Sincerely,
Jo