It's no surprise that our transit system is in desperate need of change. The true concern is how to adequately resolve Duke's administrative challenges in solving our transportation needs. We, the Duke Student Government Facilities and Athletics Committee, are working hard to enhancing the system as a whole for the students.
Wednesday at the DSG legislature, we asked Auxiliary Services and the Department of Transportation Services to comment on a memorandum outlining the state of undergraduate parking and transit. I will briefly explian what was noted in this memo.
Speaking from personal experiences, we are concerned that parking ticket prices have been raised without a direct correlation toward improved transit services. Where is this money actually going? It seems just a bit coincidental that ticket prices and permit fees have in some cases more than tripled during the construction of a brand new parking garage (behind the Bryan Center). We as students should receive justification for these new fine increases.
The memo addresses the need for the parking administration to delineate between the beneficiaries of the newly implemented guidelines as well as comparing this new system to those of our peer institutions.
To further this notion, we ask that the long-term parking plan become an integral portion of Duke's Master Plan. Falling under these guidelines, the F&A committee is also concerned about the present and future state of the Blue Lot. How will this structure sustain its current influx of registered cars? Will the issue of safety in the Blue Lot become a key concern among administrators after the recent assaults and rapes on campus?
Furthermore, we seek to discover the potential spaces off campus particularly in the Duke University Hospital facilities for parking. How can we better combine our facilities to work together? Working on the notion of culminating resources, we strive to work with SAFE rides in establishing a more systematic approach to route planning. Duke University needs to be more inclusive of all students-on and off campus.
By accomplishing this, we need to define a more efficient route between the campuses. We propose adding more signs and maps to the current routes, thereby solving any congestion and confusion current students may have.
Lastly, we hope to promote alternative means of transportation in the years to come through such mediums as cycling. All Robertson Scholars buses are equipped with bike racks (on the front) and we find it beneficial for students traveling between our three campuses to have the same option as Chapel Hill commuters.
All of these guidelines are those we plan to pursue heavily in the months to come through our subcommittees and task forces in the Facilities and Athletics Committee of DSG. We look forward to bettering our campus for you the students of Duke University. In closing, we value the opinions of all students, so please call our office at 684-DUKE with any feedback you may have to follow up with our own efforts in bettering student satisfaction with parking and transit concerns.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.