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.
Spring Break
